Help! My chili peppers have burned my tongue! or Help! My chili peppers have burned my skin! How do you stop the chili pepper burn?
How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn
As a spicy food lover, it's bound to happen. You're chopping jalapeno peppers or other hot peppers for your meal and some of it gets on your skin and starts to burn, or you take a bite of your freshly prepared spicy dish and whoa, the spicy heat is just too much.
Honestly, this happens to the best of us. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to alleviate the jalapeno burn or chili pepper burn from your skin and from eating hot peppers.
Stop the Chili Pepper Burn on the Skin
The best way to avoid chili pepper burns on the skin is to wear gloves when handling them, nitrile gloves in particular. The reason hot peppers can burn your skin is because they contain an oily substance called "capsaicin" that sticks to your skin.
Capsaicin is the substance that makes chili peppers "hot" and spicy, so avoiding the oil is the ideal way to go.
However, we often forget to wear gloves or just don't think of it, which can cause burning not only on the hands, but on other sensitive parts of the body that you touch with your hands, particularly your eyes.
Below are several ways you can combat the jalapeno heat or other hot pepper heat on your skin, or "hot pepper hands". Some are my own recommendations, but also some ideas are from spicy food readers who have shared their own personal experiences.
Be sure to read the comments below to learn other ways people have alleviated the heat for themselves.
Dish Soap and Water - Recommended
Dish soaps are meant to help clean oily plates, so they can be effective in washing away the chili oil from your burning skin. If you feel burning on your skin from handling hot peppers, wash them very thoroughly with water and dish soap several times to work the oils off of your skin.
Use Milk (or other Dairy) - Recommended
Dairy products like milk contain the chemical "casein" that combats the effects the capsaicin (the chemical that makes peppers hot) by stripping it from its receptor site on the skin.
To use milk to help stop the jalapeno burn, soak your hands in milk in a shallow bowl for several minutes, or until the heat subsides. If needed, wash your hands again thoroughly with dish soap and soak them again in milk.
Consider using milk, yogurt, sour cream or crema, or even ice cream to soak the burning skin.
Here are some other suggestions from spicy food lovers.
Rubbing Alcohol
The oil that makes chili peppers hot, capsaicin, is more soluble in alcohol, so a quick rub down with rubbing alcohol (or even a high proof booze) can help wipe it from your skin.
Just be careful, as the initial application of rubbing alcohol can cause an initial burning or stinging sensation.
Oils
Oils can be effective in helping to dissolve the burning chili oils. Dab some olive oil or any other vegetable oil onto your burning skin with cotton balls or a napkin.
Soak or wipe the skin to help dissipate the chili pepper burn.
Weak Bleach Solution
This is according to Alton Brown of "Good Eats". He says to douse your already burning hands in a mild solution of 5 to 1 water to bleach.
The bleach helps wash away the capsaicin that hasn't yet absorbed into your skin.
Baking Soda or Corn Starch Paste
Starches can help draw out the oil from your burning skin so you can wash it away and possibly neutralize it. Use 1 tablespoon of baking soda or corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water to form a paste.
Rub this into your skin and scrub to remove the oils causing the hot pepper burn.
Time
Please note that the chili pepper burning sensation on your skin will dissipate over time, so don't think it's going to last forever.
For most people it lasts anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, so give it time. It's not actual "burning" or damaging, only the sensation of burning, so you don't need to worry.
Hopefully this helps you find some relief with your burning skin.
Stopping Chili Pepper Burning in the Eyes
If you've been handling hot peppers and then touched your eyes, they can starts to burn and sting, as your eyes are extremely sensitive. If this happens, the best thing to do is to soak a paper towel in milk, then hold it to your burning eye.
The milk contains a chemical called "casein" that counteracts the burning chemical, "capsaicin", which makes hot peppers hot.
Stop the Burn from Eating Hot Peppers (Burning Mouth or Tongue from Chili Peppers)
Many of us have experience the burn after taking a bite of something too spicy. Often it's a bit too much hot sauce or an unexpected bit of heat at a spicy food restaurant, or you've simply miscalculated the heat of a pepper from your garden.
If you are experiencing mouth burn or tongue burn from eating jalapeno peppers or other hot peppers, here is what to do.
Eat Dairy
Because of the innate hotness of all chili peppers, they can burn not only the inside of your mouth, but your skin as well. If you find that you simply can't bear the heat after eating a chile pepper, try to consume a dairy product, like milk, yogurt, or ice cream.
Dairy products contain a chemical called casein that combats the effects of capsaicin (the chemical that makes peppers hot) by stripping it from its receptor site on the skin.
Milk can take some time to quell an intense burn, but it works. You'll notice an initial dissipation of the heat, but extremely hot peppers and foods can persist, so continue with the milk or dairy. Rinse and then swallow if necessary.
Sugar
I've also tried sugar and that seems to work in a pinch. Sugar can help absorb some of the hot chili oil and can reduce the burn, but it is primarily a distraction from the burn and lessen the effect.
Sugar is best added so recipes that already have hints of sweetness.
Time
The burning heat from eating spicy foods will eventually dissipate over time, so at least you know it won't last forever, even though it may feel that way at the moment.
I hope this helps. Again, please review the many reader comments below who've shared their own experiences and methods for combating burning skin, burning eyes, and burning tongues from eating hot peppers and other spicy foods.
Share Your Experience - Help Others
If you've found a solution that worked for you, please share your methods below to help others stop the chili pepper burn.
NOTE: This post was updated on 2/11/25 to include new information. It was originally published on 6/20/14.
Ana says
Honey worked for me! I tried dairy, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, oil, and make up remover. I saw in the comments that people where using honey and keeping it on for at least 30 minutes... and yup it worked! I used latex gloves and filled them up with honey. I felt the pain subside at the 30 minute mark but went on for another 15-20 minutes just to make sure the burning went completely away.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks for sharing, Ana!
Shannon says
Honey really works! Everyone should try it!
Just apply it on the burn skin for at least 30 minutes. Highly recommend it : )
Aries Eugenio says
Try SUGAR and dishwashing liquid rubbed to the affected area for 10mins. It worked with me! I think any color will do. I my case I used brown but not necessary for you to utilize.
Thorn says
When I used to have access to fresh chillies more regularly I found I had a burning sensation all over my fingers and over other parts of my hands. It was constant cause I prepared most of my meals with the spiciest raw fresh chillies I could find. A few years in a row the skin on my fingers formed bumps of varying sizes, looking a little like verucas, only they were not, some of them fell out leaving conical holes in my skin, and my red burning fingers hurt and looked terrible. I tried all sorts of things to relieve the burning and nothing helped much at all. Just when I had given up I saw my almost empty can of hemp oil and though fuck it, why not, so I rubbed it into my hands covering the entire surface area of my fingers thoroughly as well as the rest of my hands. I couldn't believe it. Within 5 minutes the burning sensation had almost completely gone, after 2 or 3 days the redness was gone and healing was happening, and after about 2 weeks you wouldn't have known that there were holes and bumps all up and down all my fingers and skin and little chunks of flesh falling off. I rubbed hemp oil in a few times a day each day, my skin was really falling apart. It was organic cold pressed extra virgin hemp oil FWIW. I hope this helps anyone going through the same thing.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks for your input and experience, Thorn.
Lucy says
After a hell of a day with burning fingers, trying every single hack to stop the immense pain, the only thing that worked was bi-phase makeup remover (the one oily+watery that women use for waterproof makeup).
Nothing else worked for me, as I understand it is very personal.
Just adding this to the conversation as I didn’t read it anywhere. I tried after reading about the micellar water, and it helped reducing immediately the pain, lasted much longer than any other product tried and even if a little burning keeps coming out now and then even the day after, that remedy saved my evening and night. At least I could sleep.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks for sharing your experience, Lucy. All the best.
Es says
Thank you so much for this. it worked instantly after trying everything else. this one truly works
Carolyn says
I had horrendous chilli burn, redness and swelling. I tried everything including anti-histamines and pain killers. Eventually thought ‘I need to neutralise the acid’. Made a paste out of dishwasher powder and water. It helped significantly but not totally. Eventually went to bed with rubber gloves filled with yoghurt taped at my wrists so it wouldn’t leak and a sleeping tablet. Woke in the morning with beautiful well nourished smooth hands. I have some Reapers growing this year and don’t plan to touch them.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks for sharing, Carolyn.
Vesin says
Hey guys thx for the suggestions, my wife was making chili paste with durban chillies without gloves, afterwards she put on rubber gloves, the kitchen yellow ones,to clean prawns...huge mistake, they where rubbing the chilly oils more into her hands...found this site and tried everything...only honey seems to be working now after25-30 mins (10-01-2020)...
True honey lover says
Thank you so much, Sasha for your comment. I tried everything on the website but nothing was making the burn go away until I read your post and tried honey. I only used the smallest amount and submerged my hands in it for 20-30minutes and it all went away. Thank you again!
keerthi says
6 hours of burning stopped after i applied hand sanitizer and some coconut oil over my burning fingers.
Emilie says
Dipping hands for about 10-15 minutes in cold milk helped - although it was lactose free (but there was probably casein in it)
Sasha Motass says
Was making kimchi with my husband. We’ve been making it for quite awhile, I’d say, this was our seventh or tenth time making it. One could say that we are fairly experienced with the chili part of the kimchi recipe, we like it hot and we always put at least two cups per four large Napa cabbages. The only new thing this time was the fact that I’m seven months pregnant. And, apparently, it made all the difference - after covering the salt soaked cabbage with the chili paste, I felt it burning, and the burning didn’t went away after I washed my hands throughly. It became progressively worse in the next 15 minutes, the burning turned unbearable. Both hands, only the outer side of the palms and fingers. It started getting slightly red (uneven, like during an allergic reaction). I found this website and started trying one thing after another, methodically. I was getting scared and worried (being 7 months pregnant does that to a person).
I tried covering my hands in olive oil, soaking in micellar water, rubbing with vodka, holding them in cold yogurt, hydrogen peroxide, antibacterial gel, three hours had passed, my husband and I were ready to call the ER, and we even called them to ask for advice (they told us to go to the farm act and call them again if the pain doesn’t subside in an hour) and then... I read the honey suggestion. I smeared a tablespoon amount on each palm and held my breath.
It helped! After 10-15 minutes the pain went down, in 25-30 it went away almost completely. I washed it off (without using soap), and the effect lasted. It felt like a monstrous migraine was finally gone. I nearly cried with relief. Thank you so much ❤️
Note - we had organic natural honey, not from the store - that might be one of the reasons it helped so quickly.
Again - HONEY WORKS!
Phil says
I tried many of the suggestions here (stainless steel, vinegar, honey, rubbing alcohol) as well as soaking in antacid (alumina and magnesia suspension), and they were all somewhat effective, but the pain and burning kept coming back after a while. Of all of them, the antacid was most effective, but that might just be because I did it the longest.
On a hunch I decided to try Voltaren (2.32% Diclofenac diethylamine topical analgesic, usually used for joint pain), and the pain and burning sensation were completely gone after 5 minutes and didn't come back. I highly recommend it.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks for sharing your experience, Phil.
Kimberley Hedger says
After extreme burning sensation from cutting scotch bonnet on my fingers, I dipped them in vodka and then made a paste with the baking soda and vodka covered my fingers in it. Finally relief, a full day later.!!!