What I do is this:

- Put a teaspoon of hot water on the top of the soap to soften it.
- Fill my mug with hot water and put the brush in to soak.
- After a couple of minutes take the brush out of the mug, empty all the water away and dump that teaspoon of soapy water into the mug.
- Give the brush a quick flick so its not dripping wet.
- Swirl the brush on the soap to load the brush. This usually takes 20 seconds or so. I also grip the actual brush hairs just by the knot to make the brush easier to load.
- Start making lather in the soapy water.
- I usually end up adding a dab more water to the mix, but the key to adding water is to add it a little at a time until the lather explodes out of the mug.

Then just apply to face and shave..!