Jalapeno HELP

[shelbyquinn03079]

Yesterday I cut and cleaned out a bunch of Jalapeno Peppers. I now see I should have worn gloves!!!! My hands have been burning off since and I have washed them a million times. I had to throw my last pair of contacts out because I touched them and then couldn't have them in my eyes. It seems to be slowly wearing off. My questions is does anyone know if there is something I can use on my hands to deal with this or do I just have to wait it out!!!

Also, is this normal if you don't wear gloves when cutting them and cleaning them out? I want to finish making the poppers for lunch but I don't even want to touch the peppers now.

[mrslee44]

Found these on the internet.

robin
:hug



Rubbing alcohol is supposed to cut the oil, then follow that with a lotion or ointment. Bag Balm is a great skin balm if you have it.

In general, use alcohol products to kill the burn externally, and milk products internally. The milk might help externally, too.

I remember reading someplace that rubbing WD-40 on your hands works.

The best solution is to use gloves, but a bleach and water solution is the only one I know of that will neutralize capsicum.
Not recommended for eyes though...so don't rub them whatever you do...

Yes, Chlorine Bleach - full strength will cut the capsaicin.
It's hard to rinse off the bleach, but it will work.

A friend of mine is a cancer specialist (since 1970s and constantly speaks at medical conferences) and he saw me using chlorine without gloves once and was horrified. He believes chlorine (bleach) and many other household chemicals are general health hazards even on the skin so recommends gloves for everything.
Not sure if it's true but I no longer use chlorine, gasoline, or other harsh chemicals without gloves. So if you try to keep things as healthy as possible,
you might try the rubbing alcohol before the bleach.

Benedryl. It can be (and might be) an allergic reaction. I did this once with mild pablano chiles, making green chili and thought I'd DIE before I got relief.
I finally ended up calling Poison Control (after calling Mom, the hospital ER, and 911).
It worked!

(I have an employee who makes chile often, she told me that if your hands burn,
just rub them through your hair and it will go away. Haven't had a chance to test it yet though.

[MotherOfGizmo]

I did the same thing a couple of years ago...so I feel your pain! I called urgent care and my regular doctors office and both told me there was nothing I could do except wait for it to wear off. I tried all sorts of weird things like soaking them in milk, ice cubes, lotions etc etc, eventually it did stop on its own, but nothing helped that I tried.

[shelbyquinn03079]

Thanks so much for all the effort. I suspose I could have looked online myself but like wearing gloves it didn't occur to me- :sarcasm

I did use the rubbing alcohol and it seems to have stopped but I think it may just be wearing off. I did try bleach last night and that didn't work.

That's what I figured MOG. I guess we learn as we go. I am Frozen Pot Pie type of cook so I just really didn't think about it.

Not only am I stuck wearing my glasses that are three years old (so I can barely see) but I was up all night because my hands were burning so bad, PLUS I have been scared to touch my baby anywhere on her skin. She actually ended up eating a small piece of toliet paper that she ripped off the roll before I could grap her because I didn't dare reach in her mouth to get it. I figured a tiny piece of paper is less damage then her poor little mouth burning like my eyes were this morning!!!

I GUESS I LEARNED MY LESSON WITH JALAPENOS! WEAR GLOVES!

[MotherOfGizmo]

I know, its one lesson I will NEVER forget! I'm sure the baby will be o.k. w/ a tiny piece of TP LOL, I don't blame you though, I would have been afraid to touch her too!

[Heidi3]

I wish I had seen this sooner ...I do this all the time!!! and then do not go to the bathroom!!!! :yikes :yikes :yikes .or poke yourself in the eye...both I do on a regular basis....but the best thing I have found is lime juice on my hands as soon as I finnish chopping ...works like a charm!....