Welcome to SBG's les, good to have you join us.
Your irritation may have come from too many passes. You also haven't mentioned what sort of shave cream or gel you use.
You said you were using a HeadBlade, were you also able to purchase HeadSlick?, You may want to give that a try if you haven't already. Great stuff.
There are also many good shaving oils out there for you to try. One of the best being Shave Secret, as many here can attest to.
Check out the headshaving section of the forum for more tips and info on products.
Good luck.