How to Make Lye: 15 Steps (with Pictures)
1. Collect wood ashes. To make potassium hydroxide lye, you need the white ashes from hardwood fires. When hardwood trees are growing, they draw potassium from the ground. This potassium doesn't burn in the fire, and is still present in the ashes after the fire. You can then leach the potassium from the ashes with water.