I shave once a week these days, sometimes two and rarely 3. But before, when I was in the military, I had to shave twice a day to maintain the standard. I get a 5'o clock shadow at noon. So my skin was pretty raw. Like many said, depends on what you use. I learned to avoid anything that gave off a scent, those extra chemicals enhanced the skin irritation. Using hot water will dry out your skin, causing more skin irritation. Use warm water in my opinion.
Honestly, I went through various creams, soaps, gels, etc., and rarely saw a difference when it came down to actually shaving the irritation afterwards. I have to becareful though, the skin on my neck is damaged from years of against the grain shaving to help me last longer in between shaves. I've been using the Ogallala Unscented Shaving Soap for awhile now, and let me just say, it has been great. Use warm water and this soap and you should be good at the start.
The razor means a lot to me as well. I've gone through electrics, which only pull at my facial hair cause it is so thick. Cheap disposables, one and done...Mach 3 was eh...But now I'm using the Fusion Power Razor and it's been alright so far. I love the little trimmer too. Because I don't shave very often these days, I toss my blades after two weeks, regardless.
After I shave, I use The Art of Shaving After-Shave Balm, again, unscented. It's worth the price tag in my opinion. Before you go to bed each night, use an unscented lotion (Lubriderm is my choice) on your face. You might get some breakouts here and there, to combat this, take a shower before you go to bed, then apply lotion, and sleep.
Remember, the key here is keep it unscented. My skin has been making a really good recovery these last 2 years. I hope to be shaving semi-regularly again soon (like 3 times a week at least).
