I had major problems with my first shave with a straight razor (my iwasaki). But with some better prep and more knowlage on reading even more about shaving I on my second shave I managed to get through quite a bit of my face. I'm still having problems though so I'm just asking for a few tips on how I can overcome them.

First big one is my face hurts after I shave. It kills when I'm putting alum block and then aftershave on it. I'm also cutting myself but it comes in patches, more like a graze.

My second problem is my foam prep isn't the best. I'm using omsa shaving soap, a best badger brush and a ceramic small cereal bowl. It looks fluffy in the bowl but when I put it on my face it doesn't seem to stay that way.