After cutting chili peppers, your hands can feel like they're on fire and burn intensely. Is there anything you can do? Some people rinse their hands with cold water, but this only provides temporary relief and doesn't solve the problem completely. In fact, you can remove the burning sensation by applying rubbing alcohol, vinegar, or washing your hands with hot water.
The substance that creates the burning sensation in chili peppers is a chemical called capsaicin. When you cut chili peppers, capsaicin gets on your skin, causing the small blood vessels to dilate. This leads to redness, heat, and an increased metabolic rate in the affected area. At the same time, it stimulates the pain-sensing nerves, which is why our hands feel like they're burning. It is generally believed that this is caused by a chemical change in the nerve endings of the skin induced by capsaicin.
Capsaicin is soluble in ethanol and alkaline solutions, but not in cold water. So, what should you do?
One: Apply rubbing alcohol to dissolve the capsaicin on your hands. After cutting chili peppers, you can wipe your hands in one direction with an alcohol cotton ball, then wash them with water, and dry them. Repeat this process three times until the symptoms subside.
Two: Wash your hands with a small amount of vinegar. This is because vinegar is acidic and can neutralize capsaicin. Washing your hands with hot water is also a good option, as capsaicin can become volatile and irritating at high temperatures. While it's not as effective as alcohol or vinegar, it works better than cold water.
Three: Immediately lather your hands with soap and scrub them vigorously for 5 minutes to greatly relieve the symptoms. Capsaicin easily adheres to the area around pores and is soluble in alkaline solutions, so using soap can solve the problem.
Four: Products like Florida water or medicated oils can also help relieve the burning sensation on your hands.
Five: If you have aloe vera gel at home, you can give it a try; it works very well too.
Actually, when cutting chili peppers, you can press the pepper with the pads of your fingers instead of pinching it with your nails. This way, your hands are less likely to get burned.