I agree with the start with less water. I soak my brush and then shake it a couple of times. I use the water that's soaked into the hair or bristles to form the lather. Sometimes, the bubbles that form that you say looks like dish soap is the point before you get to the good cream. Just keep whipping it up past that point and let the little bit of water work the cream out of the puck. Maybe it's just 30 seconds or so away from what you need! Good luck