Yesterday morning I had really bad irritation on my lower right cheek just above my chin.

Admittedly, I did do 4 passes the day before, but I think it's the first time in years I've actually been so itchy (other than with week-long stubble) and I don't recall having visible redness the day after a good shave with a straight - my alum block told me it had been a great shave.

Anyway... Is it normal for shaving to reduce irritation? I thought "enough! Let's see if shaving helps", did a 2-pass shave, and it stopped itching.

I'm confused because I thought the opposite was true. My 2-/3-day stubble looks like most guys 5 O'Clock shadow, my skin is sensitive, and I very seldom shave 2 days in a row.

Any thoughts?