What to do if your hands are spicier from garlic

Garlic has a pungent smell, which is why many people are not used to the taste of garlic. However, this does not mean that we can ignore the effect of garlic in removing fishy smell and enhancing flavor of dishes. No matter what dish is being prepared, garlic is always present. But you should be very careful when cutting garlic, because the irritating ingredients in garlic can easily damage the skin. So how should you solve the problem of your hands being spicied by garlic?

Garlic spiciness can be alleviated by the following methods:

1. Wash your hands with soap and scrub vigorously for 5 minutes to greatly relieve the symptoms. Because capsaicin easily adheres to around pores and is soluble in alkaline solutions, the problem can be solved by using soap.

2. Applying some floral water or cooling oil can also relieve the symptoms of tingling hands. Floral water and cooling oil contain peppermint oil, which has a cooling and analgesic effect.

3. Applying alcohol (proof liquor is also fine) is very effective. After cutting peppers, you can wipe your hands in one direction with an alcohol cotton ball, then wash your hands with clean water, and then dry them. Rub three times until the symptoms are relieved. The principle is that capsaicin is soluble in ethanol and alkaline aqueous solutions.

4. If you have aloe vera gel at home, you can try using it.

5. Wash your hands with a small amount of vinegar. This is because vinegar is acidic and can neutralize capsaicin.

6. Wash your hands with hot water, because capsaicin will produce irritating evaporation under high temperature. Although it is not as effective as alcohol and vinegar, it is worse than cold water.

Additional information

Precautions for cutting peppers:

1. When cutting peppers, do not pinch them with your fingernails. Instead, press them with the tips of your fingers. If your fingernails touch the peppers, it will easily cause a burning sensation on your skin. So this problem will not occur if you press it with your fingertips.

2. Wear gloves when cutting peppers. Although it will affect the feel a little, it won’t be spicy!

3. Apply some cooking oil on your hands before cutting peppers. This way, the oil will act as a barrier and your hands will not easily be contaminated by capsaicin.