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.
Peter Franzen says
Eat one or two green unripe bananas. I learnt this tip from a Keralite Indian more than three decades ago and it works every time. Green bananas are rich in resistant starch and pectin, which are filling, improve digestive health, and help lower blood sugar levels. If I’m enjoying a very hot curry I always have a bunch of green bananas on hand.
Mike H. says
Thanks for sharing! Hope you'll find other tips useful, too!
Jerry Peterson says
I have found that lime juice works really well when handling hot peppers. If I get the oil from peppers on my skin I pour lime juice on the area and the pain goes away quickly. I have gone so far as to use it near my eyes if I make the mistake of touching my skin near the eyes. I include Carolina Reapers, Ghost peppers, Thai peppers, cayenne, habanero, jalafuego in my salsa. Needless to say, it is VERY HOT!!!
Mike H. says
Thank you for your input, Jerry, it's much appreciated.
Tom Belanger says
I've been a pepper head since the late seventies, when all you could find were jalapeno, cayanne, and a few other similar peppers.
I've grown over 100 varieties of hot peppers over the years. Reapers, Scorpions,
Ghost and many more.
The one thing that I've found to help with the burn when eating them is to simply find a isolated spot (bathroom toilet works well). Then lean you head over the bowl and open your mouth. Breathe through your mouth and you will start to salivate like crazy. In about 30 to 60 seconds the heat should be cut by roughly half. This isn't a pretty way to deal with the heat, but it works!
Lisa Thompson says
a slice of raw potato on your skin or tongue will help cool it off, you'll want to have some bread with the dairy to help cool your mouth water will just swish the oil around, burning more of your mouth, so as tempting as it is, try to avoid it until after you've had some dairy!
Mike H. says
Thanks for the input, Lisa!
Matt McHenry says
Let’s look at all the chemical composition of all the solutions to capsaicin burning. I myself am not a chemical engineer, but I would suggest that because sugar has a high concentration of carbon. That is the reason why sugar is good for the burn.
Marvin G. says
The only really the best antidote for pepper burn and it works on ALL hot peppers all the time every time and that is plain table salt! Depending on the pepper you may have to put it in the mouth and wallow it around and spit it out from one or more times But it works and it never fails. If it is the lips that burn than put a little water or you can spit in it instead and then add a little salt, take your finger from your other hand and stir to dissolved the salt. Then take your finger into the salt water and paint your lips. In almost instantly the burn goes away. ( again you may have to reapply depending on the pepper)
If it is your hands... first off put your hands in cold cold water, then wash your hands using nothing but table salt to wash them with, rinse with cold water and reapply the salt and wash, (again depending on the pepper it will depend on the wash times) NEVER,NEVER use warm or any hot water to wash the hands!! Always use cold and the colder the better, The cold water closes the pores of the hand, Hot or warm water opens the pores. I always before I work with hot peppers put my hands in ice cold water before working with peppers, I have never had to use any gloves. I have raised and sold or processed just about every hot pepper there are and have ate the same and these is the only way I do it!
Using table salt washes and naturalizes the captain in both the mouth and the hands. Using milk or ice cream only covers up the hot it does not stop the damage. Besides the fact is table salt is every where, if in a restaurant take the salt shaker go to the restroom use the water salt. IT WORKS. When I sold hot peppers in the famers market I always took a box of salt and water as well as a empty glass to the customers could stop the burn. And to stop the children if and when they touch the peppers. I used the glass to put water and salt in mixed it up and slowly washed the eyes if needed.
I got this from a older Hispanic man a long long time ago, to prove him right I took the hottest peppers I had and put 4 or 5 of them all in my mouth (I do not recommend any one to do this) and chewed them, the burn was worse then terrible. But I wanted to see if what this man had told me was true, if it was then I would take table salt with to the market. I throwed some salt in my mouth and spit, I did this for three times and it worked like a charm even on the Carolina!!!
Mike H. says
Thanks for your input, Marvin, and confirmation!
JP says
thanks! Salt do work! I tried Ice, milk and cold water but salt worked almost instantly.
barbee says
We have used bread dipped in honey. Not for sure if it really works, but we always believed it cut the heat
Mel says
I have eaten bread to help stop the tongue/mouth burning. I was cutting peppers to pickle one year and my hands were in so much pain for hours one of my Aunts suggested Preparation H to stop the burning, it worked. I had already tried everything else.
Donna S says
My father-in-law told me that he had been told that rubbing an overripe banana on your skin will help. Even though I was wearing gloves, I got juices between the glove and my hand. My hands were still burning when I went to bed that night, so I got up and smashed a banana on them. Left it on a couple minutes and the heat was gone, so went back to bed.
I use cheese, yogurt or sour cream to help ease mouth pain when I need it.
Aaron Lysle Hooks says
For burn on the tongue, my go to is ice. I put a cube on my tongue and hold it there - moving around a little as it melts. The cold numbs the tongue and the melting water helps dissipate the oil.
I sometimes need a couple cubes but it seems to work for me. I guess the body heat is too great for the small cube to cause damage (at least I haven't experienced frostbite:) ).
Leo says
Try eating a cucumber slice or two. This will help kill the burn in your mouth. This is where cool as a cuc came from.
Scott Wolkoff says
The best solution that I have found works better than dish soap, or milk is cottage cheese...I have used cottage cheese not only on mouth burn but I have also used it on my hands...this works on the hottest peppers and it works well