The bumps may also be milia, which are little white bumps around the eyes and are caused by dry skin. I have them around my eyes. Closer to my nose, I sometimes get a few red spots after shaving, which look like acne, but it isn’t. I suspect it’s where I haven’t managed to wash my skin properly or else am going over the spot too vigorously. I deliberately leave lather there so I can make sure the razor doesn’t pass there.

There’s a chance it might be ingrown hair, because it gets inflamed, but it calms down and disappears after a few days. Overall, I think I have a pretty good routine. I wash my face with soap before shaving, using hot water to soften the whiskers. After the shave, I wash my face with cold water, because when I rub my face, dead skin appears (shaving is exfoliating, after all). I rise it off. I then liberally apply the alum. Let that work, wash my gear. Rise alum off, apply a balm (Nivea Sensitive). Done. I find aftershaves dry my skin and I’m not a fan of the smell. I’ve considered witch hazel, but we’ll see. Shouldn’t alum be enough?