How to deal with Chilli burns on your Skin

I love to use Chilli in my cooking. It not only adds a special flavor to my food but comes packed with a host of health benefits. It is loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. Chilies are great for our Immune system, skin, and eyes.

However, if you are used to consuming chilli, the burning sensation on your taste buds, around the mouth, and on your skin is much likely. This is due to an active component present in it known as “Capsaicin”. Due to its properties, Capsaicin doesn’t dissolve in water. Therefore, when you get a chilli burn on your skin, showering it with water doesn’t help. It just spreads the burn. Hence the best way to deal with it is to neutralize its impact by using any of the remedies discussed below.

One of the easiest ways to avoid this burning sensation is to wear gloves while dealing with chilli. This will prevent any direct contact between chilli and your skin, thus helping you avoid the burn.

However, if you are not use to wearing gloves, here are a few hacks to eliminate the hot pepper burns on hands or skin:

• • Apply Ghee on your palms before you start chopping chilies. Take 4-5 drops of Ghee and rub it thoroughly on your hands. This will help combat the effect of capsaicin thus making it less potent. Once you are done chopping chilies, wash your hands with dish soap.
  • Take a Lemon, cut it in half and rub it on your hands. After a few minutes, wash hands with cold water. The acid in the lemon will cut down the burning sensation.
  • Make a thick paste of Water and Baking Soda. Apply this paste on your stinging skin and wash it once it’s dry. This will help soothe the burning sensation.
  • If you do not have baking soda/lemon, wash your hands thoroughly with Dish Wash Soap. Dish Soap is a detergent that cuts through grease, so it helps in reducing the burning sensation too.
  • Rubbing or Isopropyl Alcohol is one solvent that breaks up the oil in chilli that causes a burning sensation. Apply a liberal amount of rubbing alcohol to the skin then wash the area with soap and water.
  • Rub Whole Milk on your hands and leave it for a few minutes or soak your hands in milk for 10 minutes. Milk is one of the most effective remedies for chilli burns. It’s best if you use cold milk. Dairy products contain “Casein”, a fat binding protein that dissolves capsaicin oil. For this reason, fatty dairy products prove to be extremely helpful to relieve mouth burns. If you have eaten anything that causes mouth burn, milk or milk products like curd/yogurt are much more effective than water or sugar. If you have rubbed your hands accidentally in the eye/face then the best way to get rid of the burning sensation is to use milk. Dip a paper towel in cold milk, squeeze it and apply it to the affected area. You will feel comforted in some time.
  • Aloe Vera Gel can also provide some temporary relief from the chilli burn because of its cooling effect.