Resolved my Ouch ouch, help help!!!

[Curmudgeoness]

Last edited Sun Sep 30, 2012, 03:48 PM - Edit history (2)

OK, I will say it before you have a chance.....I am an idiot.

Cleaning and dicing up a peck of hot peppers. I didn't notice any burning or hotness. But...now that I have finished, my hands are on fire. Washed and washed my hands, and it is doing no good. Is there anything I can put on to neutralize this?

Ouch ouch ouch.


On edit, just in case anyone else ever makes this mistake....olive oil stopped the burning almost immediately. I will live. And thanks. I knew that DUers would be there for me.

[Lisa D]

1. I've heard that rinsing your hands

with lemon juice, yogurt, sour cream or even milk may help. In the meantime, don't rub your eyes or touch any sensitive areas of your body.

[Curmudgeoness]

9. Sensitive areas of my body!

Yikes.

I guess with as dumb as this was, I do have to hear that. Great advice.

I will try all suggestions. Well, I don't have yogurt in the house, but the rest are here.

[Lisa D]

22. Yes, I had the misfortune of witnessing the

hot pepper on the hands/"sensitive" area combination on a male friend of mine after an ill-advised bathroom break. It was not a pleasant experience for him. At all.

[fizzgig]

25. it burns so badly

an ex of mine once decided to wake me up in a special way, problem was he'd just eaten a spicy breakfast burrito. not a nice way to wake up.

[fizzgig]

2. did you wash with hot or cold water?

teh internets said cold water is better.

be careful not to rub your eyes or if you have to use the toilet.

[Curmudgeoness]

10. Yeah, that toilet advice is epic.

Not only did I wash with hot water, but I am also washing clothes, so have to keep folding hot clothes from the dryer. I am not a happy camper.

On the bright side, I have lots of hot peppers!

[diabeticman]

3. put your hands in milk and keep them there. for 1/2. I would suggest some sort of gloves next

time you cut peppers like that.

[Curmudgeoness]

11. Duh, do ya think gloves would be a good idea!

I didn't have to be told, if I ever do this again. Milk it will be. A 1/2 hour will be tough, but I will try.

[Major Nikon]

17. Pain is an excellent teacher

Just be glad you didn't go take a pee before you figured it out.

Milk works well for inside your mouth. Not sure how well it would work outside. Rubbing alcohol and a horse hair or other soft brush would be the first thing I'd try.

[Curmudgeoness]

18. Ah yes, pain trains us well.

Live and learn----you would think that at some point in my long life, I would have learned this one. You CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

[hauweg]

4. Oils help

Oily compounds such as vegetable oil, paraffin oil, petroleum jelly (Vaseline), creams, or polyethylene glycol first.
Then wash off with soap and water..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin#Treatment_after_exposure

[Curmudgeoness]

12. Thanks. If my posts get a little smeary, just ignore it.

But I have hot peppers!!!!

[GaYellowDawg]

5. Rinse your hands thoroughly in corn oil or olive oil

Wipe them off - don't wash them off. Repeat, then wash with soap and water. The protein that causes the burning is lipid-soluble and this should take it off.

[Curmudgeoness]

14. Excellent. That sounds so scientific

that I will do it first.

[Kali]

6. time (maybe an asprin)

and for dog's sake keep them out of your nose, eyes and private areas! Should be ok in an hour or so.

some say milk or oil, also might try diluted vinigar or lime/lemon juice

[Curmudgeoness]

13. Out of my nose!

Damn.

Well, if it passes soon, I will be able to deal with that...although I am intended to try to do it quicker with the suggestions here.

[pinboy3niner]

7. Ah, the ol peck o' peppers crisis

Now you know why we never heard of Peter Piper again.

[Curmudgeoness]

15. It just gets hotter over time.....

Peter Piper should have warned me.

[Ptah]

8. That's a hell of a load of hot peppers!

I hope you find relief soon, Curmudgeoness.

I have found If I roll my cigarettes after a pepper session, I'm have hot lips for quite some time.

Are you canning?

[Curmudgeoness]

16. Hot lips! Oh my!

Actually, I just diced them up and freeze them in Ziploc bags. When I need some in cooking, I just grab what I need. Works great with much more ease than canning. Yes, I'm lazy----which is why I didn't want to bother with gloves. And hey, it wasn't feeling hot while I was doing it!

[pinboy3niner]

19. Hot Lips?

[Ptah]

31. my my my.

Hotlips or MTM?

hmmmmmmm

[pinboy3niner]

20. Congratulations on finding a solution--and relief!

Making a note of olive oil for future reference!

[Curmudgeoness]

21. Take it from me....don't get into this situation in the first place.

Use gloves with hot peppers and you will be fine. I think.

I believe that any oil might work, but olive oil is what I had readily available.

[MiddleFingerMom]

23. I was cooking and prepping Mexican food (including jalapenos) au naturel once --

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... when I was struck with a pretty immediate urge to urinate.
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I went to the bathroom and washed my hands REALLY well... but only AFTER finishing.
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I was baking something, and very soon after I got back to working on the stovetop, my
groin starting heating up a little. I figured it was my proximity to a 450 degree oven, so
I stepped back a little. A little warmer. A little further back. A little warmer. A little, etc.
.
I ended up bent completely over at the waist with my arms totally outstretched and on
FIRE. I finally figured out what I had done.
.
The heat from hot peppers is due to capsaicin(sp?) oil. Oils aren't water-soluble... that's
why washing in water doesn't help -- the water can't "mix" and merely slides off.
.
Oil is good, though milk is better (not skim milk -- it's the fat in milk that mixes with and
carries off the offending pepper oil.
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It was such an unpleasant experience that if I were in the same situation and had to go
to the bathroom again, I would refuse to allow myself to go... saying, "You SHOULD have
thought about that before we started on this trip."
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Owwie!!! Owwie!!! Owwie!!!
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More painful and nowhere NEAR as funny as the time I had asparagus for the first time
in years. I went to work and eventually ended up in front of a urinal. The asparagus
smell (which I had forgotten about) wafted up and assaulted my nose.
.
No shit, I immediately started reviewing my recent sexual history until it dawned on me!!!
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.

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.

[Curmudgeoness]

26. I don't know why I am laughing so hard at your plight.

I really shouldn't. You just have a way with words. I can just imagine what it was like, and I know it would be no fun at all. Amazing how the burning just keeps getting worse over time.....not one problem the whole time I was slicing and dicing. Sneaky bastards snuck up on me.

And that asparagus thing----you are in the minority. Only about 22% of the population can smell asparagus in urine. And since I did not eat asparagus for most of my life, and only learned to love it more recently, I can tell you that I was shocked the first time I smelled it too. I had never even heard of this before.

[HopeHoops]

24. Curiously, vinegar does the trick. Just do NOT touch your eyes!!! - and, for humor's sake...

We grew "paper lantern" habanero peppers this year. The cayenne peppers were mildly hot, but very sweet. My wife picked a bunch of the peppers (Peter Piper picked...) and set them on the table next to my beverage outside. I grabbed a paper lantern and ate the entire thing. My face turned bright red and I begged for water. That's the ONLY hot pepper I've ever dealt with that I couldn't handle (other than the little purple Thai peppers from 25 years ago). She laughed her ass off.

On the plus side, it cleared out my sinuses (still clear), solved my indigestion (still solved), and taught me not to just grab one of those for fun. I can take on damn near any pepper without wincing and consider Tabasco to be ketchup, but that fucker was HOT!

On Edit: They are named "paper lantern" for a reason. When the sun hits them on the western side, they glow like lanterns. Very thin skin. What's inside, is flame.

[Curmudgeoness]

27. Since I am a weinie when it comes to eating hot peppers,

I am laughing at your incident. I am sure it wasn't that funny at the time. I love hot foods and use hot peppers to spice up many meals, but I just cannot eat a pepper alone.

A tip for next time, if there is a next time, and with people like you who think you can eat any hot pepper without a problem, there will be a next time....drink milk. I did know about drinking milk, since my dad was just like you regarding peppers. I didn't know that it would work on my hands. I am told it will but putting oil on them did the trick so I didn't have to keep trying things.

[MiddleFingerMom]

28. Old joke... MiddleFingerMomDad taught me that I could eat all the hot peppers...

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... or all the hot ANYTHING I wanted for a meal as long as I followed it up with a pint of ice cream
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He also told me that the next day, I would be sitting on the commode... shouting, "C'MON, ICE CREAM!!!!!"
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.

[Curmudgeoness]

29. ...............

And I bet it isn't "just" a joke.

[HopeHoops]

30. No, that's a myth. Milk will curdle and cause you to hurl. Water is best.

I love hot peppers, raw in particular. That fucker was HOT! It will make good sauce, though. Especially if my wife blends in some of the tomatoes we grew (and garlic and onions from our bed). Damn that fucker was hot. I'll have to try another raw one in a few days. It's a fetish.

[Curmudgeoness]

32. I cannot imagine why you would want this burning

in your mouth and all the way down....and out. Ouch! I cannot imagine.

If water does no good for your hands (and I will vouch that it does not help), why would it work on the inside?

I actually have the burning back, but not as bad, since I washed my dishes. Damn.

[HopeHoops]

33. I grew up eating off of my Pa's plate - he covered everything in Tabasco and black pepper.

If a hot pepper can take me down, that's one HELL of a hot pepper. My Pa was my maternal grandfather (and I still have his '68 Galaxie 500 fastback). I know the heat expected from various peppers, but that fucker knocked me out. I was seriously embarrassed because I pride myself on being able to take any form of pepper heat. DAMN that thing was hot!!!! The cayenne peppers were sweet, hot in their own way, but sweet. The Paper Lanterns are apparently more potent than the other varieties of habanero I've grown. My mouth is still burning. I'll have to try another one (glutton for punishment).