Table of contents:
- Why can chilies make hands hot?
- Various ways to deal with hot hands due to chilies
- 1. Wash hands with dish soap
- 2. Rub hands with olive oil
- 3. Soak hands in dairy products
The thought of eating hot rice with hot chili sauce is very appetizing. However, you may feel lazy if you imagine having to knead and process the chilies first into chili sauce. The reason is, your hands will feel hot from the chilies. Don't worry, overcome it with the following trick.
Why can chilies make hands hot?
Apart from causing a burning sensation in the stomach after eating them, chilies often have the same effect on the hands. The hot feeling in your hands usually appears after you have crushed the chilies or chopped them. How did it happen?
Quoted from the Huffington Post, it turns out that chilies contain a chemical compound called capsaicin. It is this compound that makes your hands or stomach feel hot and burns. Capsaicin stimulates and binds to pain receptors. As a result, when these receptors are activated it's no wonder you feel a sensation of heat and burning.
Although it produces a burning and burning sensation, capsaicin will not cause you to suffer tissue damage or burns. This is because the molecules in capsaicin only bind to the pain receptors around your hands.
Various ways to deal with hot hands due to chilies
Actually, to prevent the hot sensation in the hands due to chilies, use gloves when cooking. However, when this is troublesome or even forgotten, you can deal with hot hands in the following ways:
1. Wash hands with dish soap
When the heat starts to strike, rinse your hands immediately with dish soap. Rub the dish soap all over your palms and under your nails. Dish soap usually gets rid of the oil on chilies that stick to your hands more easily than regular hand soap. Then, rinse with water until clean.
2. Rub hands with olive oil
Olive oil is not only good as a source of good fats for the body but also for removing capsaicin on the hands. You only need to rub olive oil on your hands to remove the remaining chili oil. Wait one to two minutes before then rinse it off with water and dish soap.
3. Soak hands in dairy products
Various dairy products are acidic, so they can help reduce the burning sensation in your hands due to chilies. Milk protein called casein functions as a natural detergent that can break down capsaicin. In addition, various dairy products also contain fat which can help dissolve capsaicin.
To treat hot hands from chilies, try soaking your hands in a bowl of milk. Let stand for a while or until the heat begins to subside. Then rinse with clean water. You can also wash it with dish soap if your hands still feel a little hot.
Remember, before cleaning your hands from the remaining chili oil, don't rub your eyes, remove contact lenses, or touch your genitals. This is because the oil from capsaicin can easily stick and spread a hot sensation to these areas.
