Jalapeno Heat

Tonight my left cheek (on my face) started burning as I was making food. I thought some oil had splashed up but my face was not oily. It got worse the more I touched it and after 10 minutes of unbearable pain, I sat down to think of reasons why it was burning so badly. Then I realized I had chopped a jalapeno earlier and hadn't washed all the pepper oil off before rubbing my face. Even after 2 washes with soap, my hands still carried the invisible sting (I found this out because my mouth started burning after I flossed). My face looked something like this:

I learned an important lesson from this experience: stay away from fresh jalapenos. If you must chop peppers, use a glove and throw it away once you finish handling the peppers. And whatever you do, do not rub your face! Or floss after handling peppers with your bare hands.

However, should you forget and you end up with plump lips and inflammed cheeks, you can use cold milk to cool it off (thanks TT and dad for the milk and aloe vera!).