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.
Bernie says
The best I have found to kill the heat is to take milk and baking soda and make a slightly liquid paste. I then clean the area that is burning. Rinse off and redo until heat is gone or it is at a tolerable level.
Max says
Heyoo, I just experienced pepper burn for the first time! I absolutely love cooking varieties of dishes using peppers (such as habanero, serrano, and jalepeño.) I am no stranger to spice! after preparing chicken fajita tacos with pico de gallo and a salsa I made from scratch (serrano peppers were used) for my family, I felt a warm tingly sensation in my finger crotch... I didn't think much of it, for maybe I touched the pan while flipping the tortillas with my hand!
Little did I know, I was in for a trip... about 10 minutes after the initial sensation, it spread across ALL OVER THE BACK SIDES OF MY HANDS. I felt like Ricky Bobby on fire, I washed my hands thoroughly with dawn dish soap and cold water, and I only got temporary relief. I doused my hands in olive oil it felt nice until i realized i now can't do anything with my hands until i wash the oil off. Once again, i washed with dish soap and cold water still just getting temporary relief. About 5 minutes pass then a new sensation arises, a BURNING SENSATION COMING FROM UNDERNEATH MY F*€!ing FINGERNAILS. While contemplating ripping off my nails, i kept reading comments and laughing at people going through something similar to what i was and before i knew it the burning reduced to a more tolerable pain...
My advice to you, wear nitrile gloves while preparing peppers and superhots to avoid this from happening ever again, but if you do find yourself in this situation, wash your hands with dish soap then wipe them down with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Or if you can tolerate not doing anything with your hand/s for the next hour douse them booger hooks in olive oil. I promise, like your buzz from "beverages" with time the burn will go away.
Cloee says
Cloee,I know it’s hard to just leave it alone but it works. After reading most of the comments and article it was completely better and didn’t hurt again.
Shane says
I find citrus cuts it perfectly. Ever wonder why the thai restaurants serve an orange slice with a meal? There ya go.
Sharon says
In pain for around 5 hours and tried: yoghurt; soap; shampoo; honey; bicarbonate of soda (dissolved in a bowl of water and applied as a thick paste); WD40 (and prayer). Nothing worked - the bicarbonate paste actually made it a lot worse. However, eye make-up remover eased the pain within minutes. Thank you to everyone on this site for the advice - without it I don’t know what I would have done!
Ken Lichtsinn says
I have used baking soda effectively to cool burning from hot peppers. Many Years ago, I saw for the first time, some habanero peppers in a grocery store. Oddly enough, they had a really huge bin of them and I had no idea how hot they are. The amount that the grocer had would have been enough to make an incandescent hot chili con carne for half of California. I took a bite into one and, suddenly I was heading for the door, got into my car with the window down spitting as fast as the fire built up in my mouth on my way home. I put a couple of tablespoonfulls of baking soda in a half glass of water, slashed it around in my mouth and decided that I really didn't need to go to ER after all. Boy those babies are HOT! About 10 minutes later, I returned to the grocery store, found my cart with groceries in it, payed for my groceries and went home now knowing what an habanero is.
Traci Vilez says
I love hot food, but unfortunately, it doesn't like me anymore. So what peppers do you recommend cooking with that are medium spice? Also is it true that the heat in a pepper comes from the membrane and not the seeds?
Mike Hultquist says
Traci, heat levels can vary from person to person, but I think jalapenos are a nice milder pepper with some heat, but not too much. If that is too hot for you, try poblanos. Also YES, the heat from chili peppers is in the whitish pith/membrane. There is no heat in the seeds.
Ken Lichtsinn says
Have you tried OTC Omeprozole? I take it daily by prescription and every doctor that I have asked about it says they (doctors) know of no harmful effects of taking it daily. I would suggest just taking it about a half hour before an occasion when you know you are going to have some spicy food.
Peter Cress says
I have found hydrogen peroxide to be very effective.
I enjoy preparing dishes with ghost pepper and Carolina reaper fairly often, and for a while I was just careful to scrub with soap and water. That works decently well for jalapeno, but for the superhots, soap and water are insufficient. An unconscious eye rub quickly reveals the failure. Once I woke up in the middle of the night...without revealing too much, I thought I'd gotten a disease.
Then I learned that hydrogen peroxide alters the capsaicin molecule. It contributes an oxygen atom which bonds to the end of the capsaicin molecule and makes it, well, not capsaicin any more.
It took a bit of courage to test; I cut up a ghost pepper, barehanded, and then rubbed my hands with hydrogen peroxide (I skipped the soap and water for the test). Then, after letting my hands air-dry, I mustered up some courage and stuck a finger in my eye. Hey, it was for science. Sure 'nuff, no burn at all.
Now, whenever I handle superhots, I rub my hands afterward with a paper towel dampened in hydrogen peroxide.
Nafiz Ahmed Shafin says
I'm reading this article when I'm in a real trouble with chili pepper extremely burning my nose. But the fact is that during reading the full article the burning has already been dissipated. This was too helpful. Read my comment and your burn gets more time to cool down. This is a great solution
Skip Willis says
I discovered this. Saltine crackers, and Corn chips absorb all the saliva, and wetness in your mouth, which contains the capsaicin. Chew crackers, or chips slowly, helping them to absorb the liquid in your mouth. It may take more than one cracker, or chip. The burn goes away almost, instantly. You can then eat more peppers, and repeat this process, as many times as as you want. It works every time.
Charlotte says
Nothing worked, the milk made the pain subside for 45 minutes. But then it came back full force. I applied Manuka honey (the one I have is strength/MGO 400). The pain almost immediately went away completely. I’m talking 100% healed up. Amazing.
Traci Vilez says
Yeah, I would say you could apply any kind of burning cream. I would use silvadene cream. Great for burns.
Vince says
When I was last in Mexico, I ran into some seriously hot serano’s (?!)… the server gave me a plate of sliced cucumbers, with salt sprinkled on top. Placing the salt side onto my tongue, it took 39 sec for the burn to die…. It was amazing. The beer didn’t help (was within reach) but neither did dairy… this did it, and fast!
Mike H. says
What a story! Do you go back to Mexico often?
Joris Ramon says
My daughter cut and de-seeded a load of jalapeños to make sriracha sauce, without gloves. Her hands were burning like mad afterwards.
We tried all the usual things: oil, soapy water, alcohol, milk; had no effect. Mechanics´ hand cleaner made it slightly better but only for a short time.
Then my eye fell on the bottle of DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide). I first tested it on my own hand: I cut a trinidad scorpion open, rubbed it on a patch of skin, waited until it was burning and then put some DMSO on it. At first it made the burning sensation even worse for like 30 seconds but then the burning completely disappeared, really quickly. Rubbed it on my daughter´s hands and same effect. Amazing.
DMSO is a transparent non-toxic solvent that has the property of taking whatever is on your skin, through your skin into the bloodstream. I use it in homemade medicinal oils and creams.
Of course it´s not something everyone has at home, but if you do and you have chili burn on your skin, you´re in luck.
Sujata Khemka says
Hi. Had a very bad Chilli burn and the only thing that worked instantly was ALOE VERA GEL. tried everything else and toothpaste made it worse. Others were temporary solutions. AV gel was MAGIC.