Hot Pepper in the Eye Remedy
ByFirst I would just like to say that the number one remedy for bringing relief to the pain of hot pepper in your eye is simply to wear gloves while cutting peppers and NEVER EVER TOUCH YOUR EYE after cutting them.
However, since I was not quite so smart last Friday, I had to come up with another remedy.
It all started so innocently. We needed to leave for our homeschool PE class that morning, but I was trying to get some of the peppers from our garden cut up and frozen before we left. Matt has been the pepper guy at our house most of this summer so I was not aware that some of them were of the very freakishly hot variety. (They were shaped like tiny sweet bell peppers.)
I got all the peppers cut up and put away, cleaned up my mess and washed my hands. I then proceeded to help get the boys ready to head out the door for PE. My eye was itchy…and so I scratched it.
Bad idea.
As if someone had lit a match on my eyeball I shrieked and turned in a circle (because I didn’t know where to go or what to do). I believe that little move is called the Eyeball Fire Ballet Step. I then ran out of the kitchen and upstairs to Matt, who was thankfully home that morning. Neither of us really knew what to do, but I quickly put a cold, wet washrag on my eye. This brought a small amount of relief, which is good because all four boys (who aren’t used to seeing their mom run screaming out of the kitchen) had made their way upstairs to see if I was still alive. At least I was able to look up at them with one eye and a half smile to give them a little assurance that I was okay.
Matt went ahead and loaded up the boys to take them to PE. I decided to stay home and be miserable. The pain was not going away, and was in fact creeping all the way up to my forehead and all the way down to my chin (not kidding), making me feel as though I might pass out. I have a pretty high pain threshold, but wow.
With the cold wash rag over my burning eye, I somehow did a swag search on “hot pepper in the eye” to see what I needed to do. Did I need to go to the ER? Could they maybe take off my face so that the intense pain would stop?
I finally found a suggestion to use a shot glass full of whole milk to wash the eye, which would neutralize the capsaicin in the peppers that was causing the burning. Whole milk I had, a shot glass…not so much. In the meantime, one of the homeschool moms (who had heard of my woes at PE class) called to say the exact same thing (although she didn’t mention the shot glass).
Using one of our little drinking glasses, I was somehow able to get milk into my eye. (Don’t ask me to demonstrate.) I also did a fairly good job of making the milk run all the way down my face and neck, but whatever.
Instant relief. I stood there, blinking milkily in unbelief. Could I really have just gone from that much pain to practically no pain with just a few swishes of milk? Indeed I had.
I then decided that I should make cookies, both because I deserved and needed a cookie after my trauma…and because I thought that when the boys got home, they might like to see that their mama was normal (relatively speaking) and okay.
Kinda brings a new dimension to the idea of milk and cookies bringing comfort, doesn’t it?
So let’s review:
- Wear gloves when you cut hot peppers and don’t touch your eye.
- But if you don’t and then you do…swish your eye with milk.
- And then make cookies.
(P.S. It wasn’t until after the flame in my eye was extinquished that I realized that my hands were also burning like mad. Funny how the eye pain overshadowed the pain in my hands. I’m still a little afraid to put my contacts in normally. Good grief did I learn my lesson.)
Ouch, Laura ~ But you are so brave to go where no one else wants to go, and live to tell about it!
Seriously, glad to know the milk bath works on eyes ~ I know sour cream works on the mouth, etc =)
I second the motion for some cookies with your milk!
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Poor you!!!! My husband also learned this the hard way when he thought he was too manly to wear gloves while cutting hot peppers for his chili. His hands were bright red and burned for at least a day and a half!
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I did this once too… except I scratched the inside of my nose instead of my eye. Owwwww. Hello clear sinuses! I wonder if pouring milk up my nose would have been worth it…
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Good to know the milk in your eye worked…I once made guacamole with jalapenos and neglected to wear gloves. Not only was the guac so hot that my mouth burned for hours, but my lips were burning and my hands were burning for almost a full day! I must have picked a really hot jalapeno! I learned my leason and not only always wear gloves now…bit I also make sure I remove the seeds when I make salsa or guac.
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I’d suggest calling your ophthalmologist because there is a chance you could have a chemical burn in the eye. Wearing contacts too soon might not be safe. Sounds awful :{ Feel better
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Hi! I just wanted to let you know that I have given you the Versatile Blogging Award on my blog. A Versatile Blogger brings everything to the table: good writing, good stories, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I hope you will accept my award by visiting my blog and “picking it up.” Then you can pass it on to your favorite bloggers, too. It’s a great way to find and share new blogs. Have a great day! Here is the link:
http://motheringinashoe.blogspot.com/2010/09/versatile-blogger-award.html
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This isn’t funny, but I can’t stop laughing. I love that you have such a sense of humor about your daily life. Have a blessed day.
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Yikes, I’m sorry you peppered your eye :-( You were in good company though…we had friends over on Friday and served chili with fixin’s, one of which my husband decided should be the evil hot peppers we get from our CSA. One couple, who are both extremely mild-mannered and calm people, ended up running around our kitchen panicking because my friend’s mouth was burning and her husband got some in his eye. Too bad we only drink skim milk around here…some whole milk would’ve come in handy! I felt kinda terrible for torturing our guests!
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I feel your pain. About a month ago, I was putting up dilly beans. I accidently put a full teaspoon of cayenne in a jar on top of the beans instead of 1/4. Well, stupid me decided to blow the extra into the sink. This plan backfired, literally! Cayenne up the nose in the mouth in the eyes. I spent the next half hour with my head in the sink with cold water running on it. Hopefully I learned my lesson, but if I didn’t I’ll have to remember the milk trick. Thanks!
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Laura Reply:
September 20th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Ooooh, that is a sad story!!
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I really want to know if the cookies came out alright, or did they taste like peppers? I cut jalepenos the other day, with gloves on, but the gloves got holes in them. I switched to another pair, which worked wonderfully to hold the heat they’d already absorbed in! I treated my hands with aloe when I finished.
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Laura Reply:
September 20th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
The cookies tasted like chocolate chips and all was right in the world (except that my hands were still on fire!)!
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Um, OW!
I’ve done with jalapeno/rub the eye thing but it wasn’t the hottest pepper in the world, either (luckily).
Glad to know there’s a way to fix it “just in case.”
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Oh Honey! Glad you’re okay. Alton Brown did the same thing (he’s Food Network celeb in case someone doesnt know him) so you’re in good company. I second the motion to call your opthamologist. Better safe than sorry on that one.
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Wow, that sounds so horrible! I am surprised, though, that you do not have an eye cup on hand for rinsing out eyes when necessary. I know they still make nice, heavy-duty glass ones because I saw one in CVS the other day. The nice thing about them is that the top is not just round, it is shaped to fit against your eye for easy rinsing. We were always getting dirt or something-or-other (soap! ow!) in our eyes when we were kids and mom would pull out the eye cup to rinse our eyes with water.
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Oh, wow, you poor thing! Glad that you feel better! What kind of pepper was that? Maybe you shouldn’t eat it. I did find the Eyeball Fire Ballet Step comparison pretty funny. Not your pain, just the comparison. :)
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That sounds so terrible. I’m glad to know the milk worked. My mom used to use the same trick when our eyes got irritated by the chlorine in swimming pools. (Although in that case you can skip the shot glass and use a clean medicine dropper.) It works almost instantly, or even makes a nice post-swim preventative measure if your kiddos are the type who have sensitive eyes. Just something to try after your next swim. (Although I guess you might have to wait until next year. I hear in some parts of the country it is not still 90+ degrees on a daily basis.) :-)
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I’m very glad your eye is okay! On a separate note, you should have a shot glass, preferably with measurement lines. That’s how I measure out all my small liquid amounts for recipes. It’s one of my favorite kitchen tools. (Plus, it would have fit nicely over your eye for the milk application!)
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Just in case you are no where near milk and happen to be lactating (or are very, very good friends with someone that is) that is also a great, if not better remedy. In India, I have read, that they will go find a lactating woman when someone gets spit in the eye by a cobra. Hey, if it works for that just imagine all the good stuff it can do. :)
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Sarah Falk Reply:
September 20th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Wow, that is cool! I use it when my little one has a little gunk in her eye and it works wonders!
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I did that myself a couple of weeks ago. Ouch! It made me understand why Indian food is always served with a cold salad, or yougurt. Something to minimize the heat!
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I have to tell you a similar story about my husband, and yes I got his permission to share…same thing…choopin away at some peppers for salsa…washed his hands, (apperantly not good enough) so he could use the restroom… That’s all I’m gonna say about that! I love the way you write. I totally had a visual of the Eyeball Fire Ballet Step! And the turning around in a circle is something I can relate too as well involving a pocket knife, my thumb and a pair of Barbie roller skates. (Don’t ask, long story) By the way how many swag bucks did you get for that search? :)
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Laura Reply:
September 20th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Oh. My. I definitely thought of that when I went to the bathroom…to be SUPER careful.
I actually can’t remember if I got any swagbucks for the search…hmmm…I sure SHOULD have!!
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My husband and I love pushing our limits with hot peppers…
Things I have learned:
Sour cream will take the burn off of the lips and tone down the whole recipe if need be so that the kids can eat it :) Also good is ice cream or a glass of milk…
Suposedly if you get some chili pepper on your hands because you forgot gloves, you can dip your hands in chopped tomatoes and it will neutralize it.
So sorry for your pain, but thanks for the milk shot idea in case we ever need it ;)
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Welcome to the club! I have my own pepper burn story I posted a couple of month ago.
http://flouronmyface.blogspot.com/2010/06/jalapeno-jelly.html
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Another thing that works is Johnson’s baby shampoo, especially for things that are both oily and hot/spicy. There’s something in it that numbs the eye, as well as the soap that breaks up the oils. When I worked as a prison guard, we were sprayed in the eyes with OC (strong pepper spray) during training and occasionally exposed during situations at work, and this is what they used to neutralize it.
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I have done that once, unfortunately I still had my contacts in. After I touched my eye and it started burning, I knew I had to get my contacts out, but my hands still had pepper all over them. It was horrible trying to get my contacts out with burning hands and burning eyes. I would give your eyes a rest for a couple of days.
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Laura Reply:
September 20th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Ooooh I had mine in too and had to keep from screaming when I took them out!!! They HAD to come out but WOWZA!!
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Oh goodness! Something like this happened to me as a child. I was helping my mom pick peppers and then I touched my face. I can remember running around the yard yelling “my face is on fire!” I don’t think it was really that bad, but to a child it seemed terrible.
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Oooooh, so sorry this happened! It happened to me too, once when I was cutting peppers from the farmers market that weren’t supposed to be hot! I guess a hot one got into the wrong bin. I remember wondering, too, if I needed to go to the hospital, but a neighbor/nurse told me that it wasn’t serious!!! And I felt the heat spread all over the inside of my sinuses. Whew!
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I have SO done that before, only I didn’t know about the milk. I think I just continued to do the ballet dance and cry a little. Stinkin’ hot peppers. ;)
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Oooo. Ouch. Yikes. I always seem to do that sort of thing if I’ve been wearing gloves. Eyes, nose, and oh my, I won’t tell you about the feminine hygene product incident! I finally gave up the gloves and am uber-careful. I wash and wash and wash and seem to survive without incident.
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Ouch! That sounds horribly painful! Milk is a great remedy. I once cut up peppers and thought my hands were clean before taking a shower. Upon washing my face and err, privates, I learned I still had pepper juice on my hands. Didn’t have any fresh milk but reconstituted powdered milk works fine too.
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In Mexico (where my husband is from) they will run the infected eye with hair. Don’t know if it really works as I have never been through this before, but it’s another idea.
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Even wearing gloves to cut them up, I’ve had burning hands afterwards. I soak my hands in a bowl of milk.
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Be careful of LARGE garlic cloves in a garlic press…sometimes they shoot out the side and into your eye also.
Not fun.
Not fun at all.
But I am alive today to tell about it! =)
(I do love garlic a bit too much!)
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I coat my hands with a little vegetable oil before cutting peppers. It keeps the pepper from penetrating the skin. Then I wash with Dawn dish soap afterwards. No pepper residue is left. You must be careful handling a knife with oily hands though. Takes some care.
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I had this exact same thing happen last year. It is horrible! I also had itched my nose so it was all up my nose and in to my sinuses and I had to get a syringe and shoot milk up my nose. It was one of my finer moments!
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This post had me laughing! :) But only because I feel your pain. My dad must have planted those same peppers a few years ago. And I did the exact same thing! I didn’t touch my eye (thankfully) but my hands were ON FIRE! Milk didn’t help much and I vowed that if I survived I would never cut a pepper without gloves again!
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Glad the milk worked for you. Milk in the eye will also help for anyone that may swim in a chlorinated pool. When my son was taking swim lessons years ago another mother did the milk thing in her daughter’s eye to soothe.
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A bit late with this info but it might be useful in the future sometime – if you ever need to put something in your eye again, put it in a tablespoon and then bat your eye in that. I learned this many years ago when my Mom told my cousin to make some warm epsom salt water and put it in a tablespoon and bat her eye in that to get rid of a stye. It worked for her and she was so appreciative.
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Thanks for sharing your story! I chopped peppers last night for a Thai dish, and after my fiance and I tasted them, I decided they were not so hot after all and TOOK OFF the gloves I was wearing. Fast forward to a few hours later when I attempted to take out my contacts– oh goodness! The dog and fiance alike were treated to a performance of the Eyeball Fire Ballet Step! Your remedy and humor alike are much appreciated!
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Laura,
Thank you for this entertaining post! I laughed along with your humorous writing, and it’s another example of how humor (and joy) can be found in any situation! I just found your website today, and the things you write about are exactly the things I’m interested in, so I look forward to reading your posts. Thank you for your instructional posts that are sprinkled with humor and real life!
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I had to do that last year when I got paprika pepper in my eye. Milk worked like a charm because water was making it worse! Luckily my husband knew exactly what to do, he works in a prison and officers have used milk to help counteract OC spray.
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I saw your booth at the Nebraska Homeschool conference. Your website is full of lots of useful stuff. Thanks for all of it!
Amy
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When growing up, my mom always used fresh peppers and yes we would forget not to rub our eyes, my mom never used gloves but the trick she used to tell us was ” just rub your eye in someone’s long hair (usually mine or my mom’s), the oil in our hair pulled the pepper sting right out”
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Now at least when you are watching COPS on TV and see the bad guys getting pepper sprayed you can relate. Nasty, nasty stuff. Maybe you could put out a video teaching us the Eyeball Fire Ballet Step. I’m sure several would buy it…LOL!
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Wow! Is about all I can say, living in the SW USA I totally feel your pain and have decided after reading many of the other posts, that I must have a high tolerance to pain in the eye, as I have done this numerous times and have never felt like that, ever! And as not funny as I know this was, you wrote it so I was crying at the end from laughing so hard.
Glad you didn’t kill yourself in the process of trying to find out what was going to help though, and it is great to hear that your boys were concerned enough to find out if you were ok too!
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Just the other day I cut up jalapenos and my hand were burning and seemed to be getting worse. My friend told me to wash my hands with cold milk and sure enough I had instant relief! I was amazed.
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Oh wow thanks for the tip! We don’t grow any hot peppers…mainly because I’m a wuss. But I love my bell peppers fresh from the garden!!
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Like 2 peas in a pod. I did the same exact thing a few years ago. I hung my peppers to dry and later took them to the kitchen to crush them. As I was crushing the peppers, I rubbed my eye. WRONG MOVE.
All of a sudden I had pain in my eye area that shot up into my forehead and down to my chin. Such pain I have never felt before (well, maybe child birth…) Both eyes swelled shut and no one was home. I just stood there for what seemed like an hour with my face on fire, not believing I had done something so stupid.
I knew milk soothes a sunburn, so I made my way into the bathroom and reached in the 2nd drawer down to grab some cotton balls. Then out to the kitchen I go, to get the milk from the frig. Most of the milk went down the sink, but I did manage to get enough on the cotton balls to bring relief to my face.
It only lasted a minute or so, and then here it comes again..a feeling like my entire face was on fire.
With both eyes still swollen shut and feeling like I had flames shooting out of my face, I “felt” my way into the living room to grab for the phone. I didn’t like that vase anyway, it was old!
I “felt” the numbers on the handset of the phone and actually reached the doctors office on my first try. Embarrassed at what I had done, I told the nurse about my little mishap and she just laughed. She told me to take 2 spoonfuls of Benadryl. Said Benadryl is good for any “skin irritation”.
So, I hang up the phone, make my way to the medicine drawer and start grabbing bottles on the left, front side of the drawer.
I grabbed a triangular bottle…okay, this must be Ny-Quil I said to myself. I put it down and grabbed another bottle. This one was flat and tall…okay, this one has to be the Delsum. My third attempt I grabbed a small round bottle. BINGO!!! This had to be it.
Happy that I had found what I thought was the right bottle, I was giddy, face still on fire, but giddy. then all of a sudden it struck me…if I can’t see, how can I pour 2 spoonfuls to swallow? Duhhhhh
Not being able to stand the pain a minute longer, I just opened the bottle and started swigging what I thought might equal 2 spoonfuls and praying real hard that I had the right stuff.
Within about 2 minutes, the burning pain left my face and within around 20-30 minutes, I could open my eyes and see again.
Needless to say, I gave up doing the pepper thing that year.
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Thanks for this post, Laura. I just came across your website last week and happened to read this post. Yesterday I touched a dish that my husband had touched after cutting jalapeno peppers and then rubbed my eye. It was extremely painful, but thankfully I remembered this post and the milk worked wonderfully!! Thanks again!
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Thanks so much for this post. I just had jalepeno eye! Your blog saved me much pain! I did one little variation … I put my milk on a paper towel then held it to my eye. thanks again!
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Thank God for this post. I cut up some jalapenos just now and accidentally touched the inside of my nose while I was blowing it. I put some milk on a tissue and held it up to my nose. We only have two percent milk, but it did help!
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THANK YOU! You just save my eyeball from further pain!!!
I am now, too, left with milk all over the place, my eye, face, hair… floor :) I don’t care, the burning stopped. Ahhhhhhh! RELIEF!
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