I usually shave in two steps. First, with the grain. Then I put more shaving cream, and I shave against the grain. I find that if you start out shaving against the grain, it will agitate the skin more.
The best thing I have ever found was a safety razor. Its the old school way of shaving that your grandpa used to do. I would also highly recommend buying a good brush and shaving soap or cream. They do a good job of hydrating your skin and getting it ready to shave. You would think putting a razor to skin would aggravate your skin more, but my razor burn has gone down drastically. With a safety razor you just let it do all the work. I can honestly say its the best shave I have ever given myself. The art of manliness has a great article on it here.
This is what I do as well. I used to razor burn and have none now. What is also awesome is that razor blades are super cheap. I think it's like $15 for 30 razors.
I have an AccuVac 770. The comb does come off and it does what it's supposed to, but it's not without problems. The vacuum part is useless, hair usually gets stuck at the inlet so you'll have to clean up afterwards anyway. There's also a decent amount of buildup at the actual trimmer part and in the various housings, so you'll have to be mindful of that and check it regularly. Overall, I've had it for 4 - 5 years, and it gets the job done (B to B+ range). Though if it had more power that would be cool.
I have dealt with problems with razor burn. The first thing is to just live without a perfectly smooth shave. Go for beard reduction, not beard elimination. That will help a lot. Safety razors are better than the fancy multi-blade razors. If you are afraid of a safety razor, then try the blades from Bump Fighter. They are actually good. You should use a brush and a good shaving cream like proraso, which also makes a great preshave cream also. The brush helps to lift up the hair for shaving. The best thing you can do is also the cheapest. Buy a bar of barber's alum. It costs like $3 on Amazon and will last years. You rinse it under cold water and rub it over your beard area after shaving. It really helps razor burn.
I got a sample size packet of "shave secret" in my marathon packet, it is AWESOME stuff. I'm gonna order some after I run out of this regular, crappy shave gel.
depending on your skin, increasing the # of blades can irritate your skin. Some people can't take as much, and more blades will cause irritation. When I cut back from the Mach3 to the Sensor Excel (2 blades), it got SO much better. That was the biggest thing for me...bigger than using Shave Secret over cream--even bigger than shaving in the shower (though I do that also)
I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.
dont go directly with against the grain...go at a right angle. you can get very close. Also, try something other than a foam. I love Kiehls shave cream. They also have an oil for sensitive skin but i've never used it. Also, get a good after shave balm. I also recommend Kiehls.
I use the Phillips Norelco 7310 rotary shaver it has all slots and no holes. I get a good clean shave with it. I removed the lifters to avoid getting any ingrown hairs. Here's a link a how to do that http://www.koshershaver.org/howto.htm. I tried shaving with a blade but it didn't work out. Also I use the Andis T-Outliner Trimmer for shaving my head and edging up. Smoove shoez
