kazron wrote:
slightly related and may not help...
when I was at a permaculture project a couple of years ago the dishwashing detergent was made from a combination of wood ashes and water that had orange and lemon peels soaked in it for a few days at a time. this soaking water was a continuous cycling of peels, as after a week or two a peel would begin to mold in the hot climate. i do not know the science behind it. perhaps water is adequate to draw out whatever qualities you seek.
Being an oil, it's likely not water soluble. BUT wood ashes in water release KOH, potassium hydroxide, AKA lye. The lye will bind with the oils to make soap. This is how they made soap in the old days, with lye derived from wood ashes, reacted with a fat such as lard.