How to Prevent Burning Hands from Hot Peppers

So, you've decided to whip up an utterly scrumptious and authentic Mexican meal for your family, complete with cayenne, jalapeños, habanero, etc. You're breezing your way through all the cooking, haughtily awaiting the astonished look on your family's face when they see that you actually pulled it off, when you end up cutting the peppers and your fingers touch the seeds! OUCH!! They burn, they sting and when you look down you can see angry red marks on your hands, reprimanding you for being so careless and merciless!

You need some respite, and you need it quick! That's exactly what this article is going to offer you. Some effective ways to not only prevent your hands from burning from hot peppers, but also some remedies, just in case you do happen to burn them.

First let us understand why our hands burn when they come in contact with peppers. All hot peppers contain capsaicin. Capsaicin, when it comes in contact with the skin, releases oils which act as irritants, and hence produce the burning sensation that we experience. Whether it is by accident, or because you did not really know that they sting, it's always good to keep some tips and pointers in mind so that you don't have to go through the harrowing experience again and even if you do, you know exactly what to do to soothe the irritation. That's what you'll find below.

Wear Gloves: The most obvious, and the most effective way to avoid those angry burns on your hands while handling peppers is to wear protective gloves. You can choose latex surgical gloves or even plastic gloves.

Vegetable Oil: Before you get to cutting them, you can take some vegetable oil and rub it generously on your hands. It will prevent burning your hands from hot pepper.

Sour Cream: Sour cream has also been known to fight off the burning caused by peppers. So, before you begin touching or cutting the peppers, you might want to coat your hands with some sour cream.

Alcohol: Any type of alcohol has been known to act against the oils in the peppers. So, you can also rub some alcohol on your hands if they've been burned.

Aloe Vera: If you have an aloe vera plant at home, cut off a leaf, break it using your hands and let the sap flow into your hands. Rub this gently on the burning area and you'll feel some relief.

Benadryl: The burning sensation is probably an allergic reaction to the oils in the pepper. So, using Benadryl, an over the counter antihistamine for topical use, can help care for your hands in such a case.

Burn Lotion: If you have a local application burn lotion, then you can use it generously on your burning hands for some relief.

Milk or Yogurt: Open a pack of cold milk. Pour some in a bowl and soak your hands in the bowl of milk for some time. If not milk, you can also apply some cold yogurt on your hands and wait for it to work its magic.

Soap Rinse: The most basic thing that you can do is after you realize that your hands are burning due to the chillies, wash your hands thoroughly with a soap. Lather well and make sure that every inch is cleaned properly. Don't forget under your nails. Most of the time, a little oil gets stuck under the nails and can cause the skin there to burn like crazy!

Toothpaste: I don't know how far this works, but I have heard a couple of friends suggesting that applying toothpaste on burning hands and washing it off helps soothe the burning.

We all know that prevention is better than cure, and it's better to be safe than sorry, but it's also true that to err is human. Accidents are bound to happen and there are bound to be remedies for them. So don't panic, just be careful, take care of your hands and enjoy your cooking experience.