Onions have proven to be not as effective as they were believed to be during a mace attack. The sulfide enzymes released by onions cause your eyes to water and remove any pepper particles left behind.
In some parts of the world, a mixture of onion juice, ginger juice, and honey is also used as a home remedy for treating cataracts.
So, is it true that onions help alleviate the pain after a pepper spray attack too? Or do they also help prevent any irritation?
We will be discussing if this home remedy really seems to work or if using water or saline solution to wash your eyes is a better option at hand.
Not only the preventative measures but let us also look at different ways to help alleviate the pain from pepper spray and understand if onions should be during times like these.
Do Onions Help Alleviate The Burning From Pepper Spray?
No, onions prove to be rather useless in a pepper spray attack.
Onions spew enzymes and sulfenic acid when their skin is broken. Through the air, it can easily travel to the eyes and can irritate them.
This irritation causes our eyes to water, the sole purpose is to remove the irritant. This is why onions could very easily be replaced by water.
Washing your eyes with cold water helps to alleviate the burning sensation and irritation of mace. Make sure to wash your hands and other parts of your body that might touch your eyes thoroughly.
Wash your eyes with water or saline solution so it does not further irritate your eyes.
Can You Put Onions On Your Eyes?
Onions have antibacterial properties that might be good for your eyes, whether you’re eating them or putting them in your eyes.
Yes, onions have the most annoying tear-jerking quality but raw onion juice, diluted in water, can be applied to your eyes for a short amount of time. It is known to treat pink eye or sore eyes caused by bacteria.
In fact, in some parts of the world, a mixture of onion juice, ginger juice, and honey is also used as a home remedy for treating cataracts.
All this aside, onions, however, do not help alleviate the burns and irritation caused by pepper sprays. So it is advised to reach out for proper methods to treat them and go to a doctor if the pain continues for more than one day.
What To Do If You’re Exposed To Mace Spray?
Mace pepper spray is a strong formula and it is difficult to remove easily. So try not to breathe it in and shut your eyes close if there is a forewarning of the pepper spray.
Unlike tear gas, it is difficult to wash mace off easily so you might need to prevent as much damage as possible.
You might feel some irritation on your face and body parts that are exposed but do not itch them. Instead, keep your eyes closed and do not breathe for as long as possible and look for a way to go out in the fresh air, away from the contaminated area.
If you’re already exposed to pepper spray, the following is the list of instructions you must follow immediately after being exposed to the spray.
- The first step is not to panic and never touch your eyes. Try to get away from the contaminated area and look for fresh air.
- Remove all decontaminated particles from your space and leave them out for aeration. If inside, open the door and windows for ventilation.
- Do not remove your contaminated clothes from your head. If it is not a button-up, you have to cut it open and not let it go near your face.
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and disinfectant before washing your eyes with cold water or saline.
- Avoid using milk, soapy water, or any other unflavoured liquid antacids. As they’re not sterile, they might cause some further eye infections.
- Wash only the skin around your eyes and face with a soapy solution. Be careful to not let the soap suds into your eyes as it can cause an eye infection.
- Do not put an unprescribed ointment on your eyes as not only could it trap the pepper oil but also cause further irritation. It is better to leave your eyes exposed to fresh air until you feel better.
If your eyes are still irritated or you’re in pain, it is advised that you consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Do Onions Help With Tear Gas?
No, onions don’t work well to alleviate the pain and irritation from tear gas.
Often dubbed as nature’s tear gas, onions can only cause more irritation when exposed to eyes irritated by artificial tear gas.
Therefore, it is important to always cover your eyes when you’re taking part in a protest where it can be employed to break the crowd.
However, if exposed to tear gas accidentally, wash your eyes thoroughly with plain, cold water. If the pain persists even after some time has passed, seek medical assistance.
Final Remarks
In this article, we tried to understand that onions are not a good option to use when exposed to Mace pepper spray. Instead, try to wash your eyes as thoroughly as possible and aerate your surroundings.
Here is a summary of what we have discussed in this article so far:
Do onions help with Mace? No, onions do not help alleviate the pain and irritation of your exposed eyes. Instead, wash your eyes with plain water or saline solution and try to get rid of all the contaminated spaces by aerating them.
My name is Douglas Ryan and I am the founder of BargainFoodie. I have worked in the culinary space for many years, and exploring new food is my greatest pleasure in life.