Why can I not wash the Chilli off my hands?

Unless you are wearing gloves, it is almost impossible to wash away the hot spice of chilli peppers at the end of a meal.

The spicy stuff seems to stick to your hands and fingers, no matter how many times you try and wash it away with soap and water. Sometimes, even if you think you have done the trick, one wipe of the eyes is all it takes to deliver a high dose of instant pain!

While it helps to give your hands a good wash after handling hot peppers, unfortunately, it does not always do the job completely. That is because capsaicin, the part of the pepper that packs the greatest punch cannot always be wiped away with water alone. The oil on your skin may actually attract the capsaicin, rather than repelling it. While you may be able to wash some of it away, it’s not always to remove all of it. Keep in mind, that capsaicin is very potent.  It doesn’t take much to heat things up. If you end up touching hot peppers you need to do a really good job with soap and water before you even think about touching your face and eyes.

Even better wear rubber gloves.