New Terrain: Making Farm-Made Lye for Liquid Soap

June 1, 2026

For the last few months, we’ve been unable to reliably source the lye needed to make our liquid soap.

Instead of waiting for the problem to solve itself, we’ve decided to head in a completely new direction.

We’re going to attempt to produce our own lye on the farm using wood ash generated from our own fire and biochar systems.

I have no idea exactly where this journey will lead.

What I do know is that every challenge on a farm is an opportunity to learn something new, and this project has the potential to transform one of the most fragile links in our soap-making process.

Follow along as we explore what it takes to become what may be the only liquid soap producer in Hawaiʻi making lye on-site from locally sourced materials.

What Is Lye?

Lye is the alkaline ingredient that makes soap possible.

For liquid soap production, the preferred form is potassium hydroxide. During soap making, lye reacts with oils in a process called saponification, transforming them into soap.

Without lye, there is no soap.

Why Is This Project Important?

Hawaiʻi Supply Challenges

Because lye is a highly corrosive material, it can be difficult and expensive to ship to Hawaiʻi. Restrictions on hazardous materials make sourcing potassium hydroxide more complicated than simply placing an order online.

Every time we run out, production slows down.

Closing the Loop

Our farm already produces wood ash and biochar as byproducts of land stewardship and farm maintenance.

Instead of treating those materials as waste, we want to explore whether they can become part of our soap-making system.

If successful, we can reduce our dependence on imported inputs and strengthen the connection between the farm and the products we create.

Transparency

I want this project to serve as a window into our soap-making process. Many people see the finished bottle but never see the experiments, mistakes, and problem-solving that happen behind the scenes.

This project is an opportunity to share that journey openly.

Looking Back Someday

One reason I’m documenting this process is simple:

I want to remember where we started.

As Honihoni Farm grows, I hope to look back on these early experiments and see how much we’ve learned along the way.

Whether this project succeeds immediately or takes years to refine, it’s part of the story.

What’s Next?

Over the coming months we’ll be:

• Collecting and processing ash

• Experimenting with traditional lye extraction methods

• Testing lye strength

• Comparing farm-made lye to commercial potassium hydroxide

• Documenting every success and failure along the way

  
  

This is an experiment.

We don’t know exactly where it leads.

But we’re excited to find out.

Are you ready to follow along?