If habanero peppers get on your skin, they can burn your skin and cause pain. These peppers burn your skin because they contain an irritant called capsaicin. To avoid getting habanero peppers on your skin, you should handle them with gloves. If they do get on your skin, you must remove the pepper oil from your skin as soon as possible; otherwise, the burning sensation can last for hours.
Take the pepper off your skin using gloved hands.
Wash the skin with a warm water and soap mixture. Repeat this at least twice. Don't rub your skin very hard. You don't want to irritate an already sensitive area.
Rub vegetable or olive oil on your skin and let it set for about a minute. Rinse it off.
Related LeafTv Articles
Apply rubbing alcohol to the area with a cotton ball or cotton pad.
Rinse with water or a saline mist if habanero gets in your eye. Do not put oil or rubbing alcohol in your eyes. The habanero pepper oil should be completely off your skin before you touch your eyes.
Tip
After removing the pepper off your skin, eat or drink a dairy product to help you relieve the burning from the inside out. Casein, which is located in dairy foods, fights the burning effects of habanero peppers. You can also soak the skin in a dairy product. If the habanero is on a part of your body that can't be soaked in milk or yogurt, use a cotton ball to apply the dairy to that part of your skin. You can also soak the skin in a bowl of ice water to help cool the burning sensation. You can also apply an aloe vera gel to your skin to stop the pain.
References
Writer Bio
Fred Wood is a freelance writer and producer based in New York who started writing in 2007. His work can be found at wpix.com and he contributes to several TV news outlets in his tri-state area, including the CW and CBS networks. He specializes in news, health and lifestyle articles. He earned a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism from Jackson State University.