I was making peach salsa last night which required me to dice 4 jalapeno peppers. I didn't have gloves, but it didn't worry me too much as I've never had a bad reaction and hardly ever wear gloves. NEVER AGAIN!!! I diced the peppers around 4:30...by 5:30, my fingers were burning so much I could barely finish canning the salsa. I tried cold water, lemon, ice cubes, cold packs, washing and rinsing, washing and rinsing....NOTHING WORKED. By 9:30 I was beside myself, so decided to Google and found this site. I did not have rubbing alcohol so I tried several other suggestions. What finally worked for me was:
1. Soaking my hands in cold milk for 4-5 mins.
2. I also made a thick paste with baking soda and milk, which I applied in a thick coat after taking my hands out of the milk.
3. Let that dry for about 15-20 minutes.
4. Scrub mixture off and start from step 1 again.
I did this about 4-5 times (relief started with the first application) and then left the last coat on all night and washed my hands this morning. My fingers are still tender (and visibly red and a bit swollen, but the baking soda and milk provided great relief. Without them, I'm sure I would not have gotten a bit of sleep.
I'll NEVER cut peppers without gloves again! Thank you for all the helpful suggestions...I was able to find one that worked for me!
The following was sent in by Jann Lewis
Jalepeno burns.. I burned three fingers and two thumbs by cutting peppers
and pulling out the seeds. It was excrutiating for three hours, I tried
everything recommended, and then came to a site that suggested Colgate
toothpaste, and remembered my daughter tried that. I rubbed some all over my
fingers and waited, approximately 30 minutes later the pain was completely gone,
it was amazing!!!!
The following was sent in by Krystal Korpalski
After cutting up lots of peppers, half hour went by and fireballs felt like they were in my hands!! Tried milk, cold water, ice, toothpaste and different forms of alcohol!! Some may it worse or only gave few minute relief. Then tried store brand antiacid, soaked few minutes on an off and gave the best relief temporarily for long periods of time but when i stopped it came back full fledged. Lastly, scrubbed hands with Dawn dish soap and rinsed with lukewarm water...fantastic!!! Hands got very oilly and sticky from all the oils coming out so did it again in 20 minutes and hasn't returned, best remedy out there!! I only mention the antacid because I think that was a good first step to the soap.
The following was sent in by Ophelia
I just had the pleasure of a Jalapeno burn on my nose, lips and
cheeks for the last 45 minutes. I started with alcohol, ice water followed by
lemon and baking soda "mush." Alternating the ice water, lemon and baking
soda put out the "fire" in about 40 minutes. Relief was immediate with each
treatment but the "fire" returned in seconds, I kept alternating the
water, baking soda and lemons eventually the symptom went away as fast as it
came. I did not get a chance to try the rest of the tips like peroxide and
dawn.
The following was sent in by Angel Avila
Aloe vera, not from the bottle, but from the plant gave me some
temporary relief... also baking soda paste on my hands then dipped them
into vinegar helped for a little bit, as well as Vodka wash. Nothing
seems to stop mine, but I can blunt the pain for a little bit.
The following was sent in by Nicole
I also came under attack from the burn of these peppers. I tried all of these remedies and some did not work at all and some only provided momentary relief. What finally worked (and I mean that the pain was not taken away but made it reasonable for me to get to sleep with the help of a sleep aid.) was making a baking soda paste and sitting with a large bowl on my lap and just rubbing it in for about an hour. I would stop after 20 mins. rinse and start using the paste. After about an hour I did a final rinse and went to bed. The burning was still present but when I woke up this morning i have no pain at all.
The following was sent in by Barbara Pearson
Just wanted to send in this tip to maybe help someone else with jalapeno burns to their hands ! I made salsa today & chopped up ( & seeded ) like 10 jalapenos, needless to say they burnt my hands really bad ! I tried all the recommended " cures" but nothing really relieved the burning EXCEPT some burn ointment called either Silvadine cream or Silver Sulfadiazine Cream. You can buy it over the counter, I forgot I had it, then remembered & tried it & it was THE ONLY thing that STOPPED the burning!
If you are planning on handling jalapenos please make sure you have some of this stuff for the burns. From what I have heard & read even gloves don't stop you from getting burnt ! This is a very painful burn, will never do jalapenos again, that little task will be left for someone else to do, not me ! Hope this post helps someone else, it's good stuff ! I tried ice, milk, aloe straight from the plant, alcohol, nothing worked but this cream !
The following was sent in by cjk
I just had this happen for the first time ever. I took a hot
shower which made the burn feel worse, but it takes hot water to
dissolve the oils of the pepper. I then called poison control. They
recommended washing with hot water and then using vitamin E on the
burning skin. I just happened to have vitamin E capsules, so I cut one
open and spread it around. Some relief almost instantly and continues
to improve over 10 minutes or so.
See also
Jelapeno burn treatment
wonderful page
pepper burn on face & in nose!
I've got it