I know we’ve talked about it, but I may have misremembered.
If Google can’t remember it for me, I don’t always know how to look it up.
I also remember that you don’t use hardwood ashes.
.
What worries me though, is that if we have to go back to outhouses, there aren’t any Sears catalogs.
No, I do not use hardwood ashes. I use commercially available lye, pure NaOH, even though I am familiar with the egg-test for lye content in wood ash. I also use cooking oils like almond, sesame, and olive. Butters are also included, mango and shea, and coconut oil. A small amount of castor oil helps with lather as well.