I had similar problems the first few shaves even with a shave ready razor from SRD. My face seems to have taken about 4 or 5 shaves before it started to get used to shaving with a straight. When I started I was holding the razor way too steep, probably more at 45 deg or so than the 30 deg recommended. That caused the sound of the wiskers to be more like velcro getting ripped apart than bacon frying in a pan, which is supposedly the sound us newbies should shoot for, and also tugged at the whiskers instead of cutting. My face was raw and tender so I waited 3 days in between shaves for a few, now I can shave everyday(3 weeks in) without too much irritation, I still get a little but it is for the most part confined to the lower neck region where my whiskers grow at different angles and has always caused problems no matter how I shave. It took until my third shave or so before I started getting the pressure at a better level, and it seems that as confidence rises so does comfort, tenantiveness is no good for comfort. I have also read around the forum that it takes a few shaves before the harshness leaves a razor(scary sharp becomes scary sharp and smooth), which seems about right as far as my experience so far, but I cant say for sure or if it was just my technique getting better. The point, even with a perfectly prepared razor, it will take time and practice to improve your comfort at least it did for me. When you get your razor back, spend more time preparing your beard, lower the angle of your blade, lower the pressure your exerting on the razor to shave(JimmyHAD has pointers on the correct grip in his sig-line) and dont be scared of the edge, be cautious and mindful of where it is at all times but dont be tenative. Once you start improving technique you will enjoy it far more since every shave just keeps getting better and better. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been so far.