How To Get Jalape?o Off Hands: Removal And Prevention Tips

The trick is to keep the spicy oil from spreading.

There's no shortage of ways to use spicy jalape?o peppers in recipes, from dishes like Jalape?o Popper Dip to drinks like Spicy Ranch Water. While spicing things up may sound exciting, the thought of preparing jalape?os—and figuring out how to get jalape?o off hands to prevent the spicy oils from causing eye or skin irritation—may immediately put the kibosh on any immediate recipe plans. "This happens way more often than people think, and I can attest that it is not fun," Chef Jerry Lanuzza tells Southern Living of accidentally transferring the spicy oil from jalape?os from hands to other parts of the body.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to remove jalape?o oil from your hands as long as you're prepared. However, Lanuzza cautions against using just running water to rinse the oil. "You risk the chance of spreading capsaicin (the oil that makes jalape?os spicy) because it is an oil that can be spread with water," he explains. So if rinsing with water isn’t the trick, you're likely wondering how to get jalape?o off hands properly—and Lanuzza shares some of his top tips below.

Meet The Expert

Jerry Lanuzza, MS Ed., CHE, Associate Professor, College of Food Innovation and Technology, Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte Campus

Why Jalape?os Cause A Burning Sensation

Jalape?o peppers belong to the family of chili peppers. "Most chili peppers have capsaicin in them, which causes them to become hot peppers," explains Lanuzza. "Some peppers, like a red bell pepper, have very little to no capsaicin, so they are sweet."

A jalape?o pepper has some capsaicin, which puts it into the lower (and milder) end of the "hot pepper spectrum." Lanuzza adds, "Other peppers such as cayenne, tabasco, scotch bonnet—or habanero—and ghost pepper are much spicier because they contain a higher concentration of capsaicin."

Related: How to Pickle Jalape?o Peppers

Why It's Important To Get Jalape?o Oil Off Your Hands

Capsaicin is an oil-based compound that does not rinse away by running your hands under water. In fact, if one only uses water, the oils are picked up and spread to non-affected areas. "If you do not get the pepper oils off your hands, the capsaicin can transfer to other foods, thus making them spicy, or can be transferred to other sensitive parts of the body—like your eyes—causing burning and irritation," Lanuzza explains.

Lanuzza adds extra caution for those with sensitive skin. "The oils in the chili pepper—such as internal juices, pulp, membranes, and seeds—can cause severe irritation on the hands and anywhere else that might interact with pepper oils," he says.

Related: How To Grow And Care For Jalape?os

How To Get Jalape?o Off Hands

Knowing how to get jalape?o off hands once capsaicin has touched your skin is key to avoiding more pain and discomfort. Below, Lanuzza shares the five best ways to remove capsaicin to prevent skin or eye irritation and ensure the spicy oil doesn’t transfer to any other food or beverage.

1. Wear Disposable Gloves

Wearing gloves is the easiest way to prevent getting jalape?o juices on your hands. "I recommend wearing disposable gloves, but be careful when removing them when you're done working with the chili peppers; the oils can transfer to the hands during the removal of the gloves," Lanuzza says. He adds, "It is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water whenever you remove gloves during cooking or meal preparation."

2. Wash With Kitchen-Strength Soap

When you are done working with the peppers, wash your hands with a good amount of kitchen-strength soap, such as Dawn dish soap. Scrub all the way to your elbows to ensure you wash away any oils that may have come in contact with your skin. "Be sure to wash the cutting board and cutlery that you used as well, or the oils may get back on your skin by cross-contamination," Lanuzza says.

3. Wash With Acid

Lanuzza recommends using an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, when considering how to get jalape?o off hands. "Capsaicin is an alkali, which can be neutralized by an acid," he explains. "Rub your hands with lemon juice or vinegar to neutralize the capsaicin and then wash your hands as above." However, he cautions this is more of a hit-or-miss approach based on the concentration of acid that is used. "Not all acids are the same, much like all chili peppers are not the same," Lanuzza says.

4. Wash With Milk

Milk can be used for the same reason as lemon juice. "Milk contains lactic acid, which can help neutralize the capsaicin," he explains. "Rub your hands with copious amounts of cows’ milk—soy or almond does not work—and then wash with dish soap and water."

5. Wash With Vegetable Or Olive Oil

Need to know how to get jalape?o off hands without lemon juice, vinegar, or milk? Rub a little bit of vegetable or olive oil on your skin. "The idea is that the added oil will blend with the capsaicin, thus lowering the concentration of pepper juices and then making it easier to wash away with the dish soap method," Lanuzza says.

What To Do If You Get Jalape?o Juice In Your Eye

The eye-watering burn capsaicin causes when transferred from hands to eyes is enough to make even the strongest person wince. As with using only water to remove the oil from hands, using only water to flush your eye runs the risk of it spreading.

"If it is a severe irritation, you may want to flush the affected eye with milk in hopes of neutralizing the alkali with lactic acid," Lanuzza says, adding you should avoid using lemon juice or vinegar to flush the eyes. "Regardless, even when the capsaicin is neutralized, the exposure to the eye has inflamed some nerve endings and it is going to take some time for those nerves to calm down. I have never found anything that makes the burn go away instantly," he adds. (And, as always, consult a medical professional for how to handle specific issues.)

Related: How To Cook With Hot Habaneros Without Losing Your Cool

Frequently asked Questions

How do you neutralize jalape?o on skin?

There are several ways to neutralize the burn of jalape?o oil, or capsaicin, on skin. Capsaicin is an alkali, so rubbing an acid like milk or lemon juice on affected areas can help dull or completely stop the burn.

How do you stop the burning sensation on hands after cutting hot peppers?

A few techniques for stopping the burn of hot pepper oil on hands include washing with kitchen-strength dish soap, applying lemon juice or vinegar, rinsing with milk, or rubbing olive oil on affected areas.

How long does it take for the burning sensation from jalape?o oil to go away?

"Jalape?o hands," the burning sensation caused by capsaicin getting on the skin, can last a few hours to several days depending on how ripe the peppers are and the quantity of oil rubbed on the skin.