I wouldn't rule out your aftershave as the guilty party. I had a really bad reaction to my aftershave after my 4th straight shave (before that I used nivia balsm), I came out all blotchey and red. I have been using this particular aftershave for years without any issues at all. The only thing I can think of as to why it happened is, a straight shave seems to take more skin off during the process (I'm still new to the game and probably still using too much pressure but it is getting better) and the fresh new exposed skin is much more delicate. It is purely a guess but I've not used aftershave again and I've not had the reaction again.