Instagram has me pegged as a privileged person who can sometimes be convinced to buy away my guilt over my carbon footprint and that of my family. A swarm of ads for compostable toothbrushes, reusable silicone ziplock baggies, and earth-friendly dish detergent regularly pop up on my feed to remind me that I could be doing better.

Egged on by this, when I ran out of face wash over the summer, I stood in Target feeling paralyzed by the options and annoyed that every one of them came in a plastic container that fell in the grey area of recyclability.

I reluctantly asked an employee if there were any face wash options that didn’t come in a plastic container. She shrugged. I left without buying anything.

Still in need of face wash, I took out a medicine cup at home and mixed up my own. It has two ingredients: organic coconut oil, and brown sugar for scrubbing power. (I tried white sugar with one batch, and decided I prefer brown. It looks prettier, and might be a little grittier.)

A full medicine cup lasts for several weeks on an upper shelf in the shower, although now the Chaplain and One are onto me, it has been disappearing faster. Coconut oil appealed for its anti-microbial properties and moisturizing. Supposedly the oil binds to the oil already on your skin and helps remove the gross stuff. That is a broad generalization, so if you want specifics, there are websites that will provide you with the science.

I’ve been using coconut oil (without the sugar) on my face for a while now. I used to use it maybe once a week in the wintertime to moisturize in between using my regular, store bought face wash.

This summer I started using my coconut oil/sugar scrub every day. I worried that it would cause break outs. All the face wash at the store crows about being oil free, so that must be what we need, right?

Nope. My skin has been dewier and clearer since I’ve been using my oily face wash. I use it on my face, then splash water on it, which because it’s oil, doesn’t really rinse it off (but I hope it rinses the dirt off), then pat dry with a towel.One particularly steamy week this past summer, I broke down and bought face wash at the store. I hadn’t actually started breaking out. But I figured it was a matter of time, plus an older kid was haranguing me about skin problems. The week I used that face wash was my worst complexion week all summer. I’ve gone back to the oil and haven’t looked back.

If you’re open to experimentation, and you like the idea of cleansing and moisturizing all in one step, try it. It’s the easiest thing to make, and your face will thank you.

If you don’t already keep coconut oil in your house, this is your opportunity. It is good for so many things: lip balm, personal lubricant, and moisture for dry hair (especially if it’s course like my kids’) are a few other uses. But my favorite use so far may be this face wash.