Pepper Spray What Is It And How Does It Work

Pepper spray (also known as OC spray-Oleoresin Capsicum), or capsicum spray is an inflammatory agent. (A chemical that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain, and temporary blindness) The spray is an organically based inflammatory agent derived from the active ingredient of cayenne peppers. Pepper spray typically comes in canisters, which are often small enough to be carried concealed in a pocket or purse.

Pepper spray causes immediate dilating of the eye capillaries resulting in temporary blindness, temporary paralysis of the larynx (which causes subjects to lose their breath), choking and coughing. The defensive spray also will create an intense burning sensation on the surface of the skin and nausea. The mucous membranes will swell to prevent all but life support breathing. After being sprayed subjects immediately cover their eyes and bend over into a defensive posture to avoid further contact. It is very uncomfortable and there is some pain associated with it. The result is temporary incapacitation, mostly due to not being able to see or breathe properly.

OC Spray may not be quite as effective on addicts, intoxicated or hysterical persons. You may have to spray them twice with a good burst of pepper spray to have the desired effect. The length of the effects depend on the strength of the spray but the average full effect lasts around thirty to forty-five minutes, with after effects lasting for hours. The strongest concentrations are 15% active ingredients and rated at 2 million scoville heat units. The high scoville heat rating is more important than the actual percentage of pepper spray ingredients.

Pepper spray is often used to control riots or other violent situations as well as in self defense. A violent assault occurs every 15 seconds in the US and carrying defensive sprays are potent self defense products and safer than guns. Pepper spray is non lethal except under a few rare circumstances, depending on pre-existing medical conditions. There is rarely long term vision damage.

If one is infected with pepper spray, the best thing to do is to blink constantly. This will induce tears that can wash the pepper spray out of ones eyes. Washing one’s eyes with soap such as mild non-oily degreasing dishwasher detergent can help you relive some of the pepper’s irritation. The pepper spray has an effect of about half an hour until the effects ware off. Pepper spray is illegal in certain countries such as UK, and may require a license in some other countries.

To learn how to help your loved ones increase their personal safety awareness, be sure to visit our Functional Safety Awarenss training program page!

All About Pepper Spray

All About Pepper Spray
With crime being more present than ever these days, it always pays off to protect yourself. Although there are police officers and others out there who uphold the law, you never know when something may happen and they aren’t around. To protect yourself, there are several products and forms of protection that you can get. Among the may products available to you, is something known as pepper spray - which is one of the most common forms of self protection.

Personal protection products such as pepper spray, will work a lot better and yield the most power when you have full belief in yourself. When you have belief in yourself, you will trust your senses, pay attention to what is going on around you, believe in your naturally ability to defend yourself, and show people that you can defend yourself. Although personal protection products are great to have, you need to believe in yourself in order to use them properly.

Protecting yourself is something you simply must do these days. Over the years, personal protection products have become a way of life, with pepper spray being among the most popular and best forms of protection. When used properly, pepper spray can stop humans from attacking quickly and safely. It’s also useful with dogs as well. It comes in an aerosol form, is easy to use, and can stop most attackers in a matter of seconds.

The active ingredient found in pepper spray is OC (Oleoresin Capsicum). The spray comes in 10% or 15%, with a heat rating of 2 million. OC is non toxic, non flammable, and comes from the well known cayenne peppers. When used as a spray, OC acts as an inflammatory agent, causing immediate dilation of the nose, throat, lungs, and eyes - resulting in constricted breathing and temporary blindness. Although it doesn’t lead to death, the effects will last up to 45 minutes, and make attackers feel as if they are dying. The effects will take place immediately, giving victims plenty of time to escape and seek help.

The use of pepper spray is completely legal, although there are certain rules and restrictions that you must follow. As you may already know, you can’t carry pepper spray or any other form of self defense on airplanes. There are also some states that will prevent the use of pepper spray, while others require that you have a FID (Firearms Identification Card) to own or use the spray. To be on the safe side, you should always check with local state regulations before you purchase any form of self defense product, such as pepper spray.

When you are out and about, pepper spray is easy to hide. Women normally keep it in their purse, where it is easy to access. If you plan to carry it in your purse, always make sure that it is easy to access, with nothing in the way. You can also carry it in your pocket or in your coat as well, where you can easily reach it in a moment’s notice. An attack can occur in a matter of seconds - which is why you want to be able to reach it fast.

All in all, pepper spray is a great self defense tool. It can also be a deadly weapon if it isn’t used properly. Whenever you carry pepper spray, you should always follow the safety precautions and rules of the spray. If you use it for self defense purposes and know how to properly use it - you can enjoy the confidence and security that it provides.

The Truest Safety We Have is the Safety We Create Within Ourselves

You might be thinking that it can be dangerous to even think about self defense when faced with violent crime. An attempt at self defense can turn a robbery into a murder--your own. So it's better to be equipped with safety products like a pepper spray, which help us to defend on sudden attacks in parking lots, ATM centers and other secluded places. A majority of law enforcement personnel carry a pepper spray for protection against assaults from criminals.

The truth is that in this uncertain world the truest safety we have is the safety we create within ourselves. Being terrified in the face of crime only makes us miserable and accomplishes the goal of crime, which is to create widespread fear and instability.


Let us educate ourselves with the crime facts:


Crime Statistics:

• 82% of society will be a victim of a violent crime during their lifetimes.3 out of 4 women will be victims of at least one Sexual Abuse.
• Every hour, 16 women confront rapists.Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.
• In 2002, there were a total of 4,854 cases of aggravated assault in Washington DC. On a daily basis, this computes to 13.2 aggravated assaults a day.
• In Maryland, there were 3,228 cases of larceny and thefts per 100,000 people in 2002. This is one-third higher than the national average rate of 2,445.8 cases per 100,000.
• In Detroit, there were 41.79 murders per 100,000 people in 2002. This is alarmingly way above the national average rate of 5.6 for the same year.In 2002, with the exception of burglaries.
• Philadelphia led all crime levels which were above the national average rates for murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assaults, larceny/theft and motor vehicle theft.


Violent Crime (Murder, Rape, Robbery, Assault)

Year Total Cases
2000 1,425,486
2001 1,439,480
2002 1,423,677
2003 1,381,259
2004 Not Available
2005 Not Available


Property Crime (Burglary, Larceny, Vehicle Theft)

Year Total Cases
2000 10,182,584
2001 10,437,189
2002 10,455,277
2003 10,435,523
2004 Not Available
2005 Not Available

Source: Sourcebook of Bureau of Justice Statistics - 31st Edition


We can not assume that we are always safe. Crime can happen to anyone at anytime.

Is there a way you can safeguard yourself and protect your freedom?

Yes! You Can Stop It!

Personal safety products like pepper sprays are most powerful when you believe in yourself. When you believe in yourself, you are far more likely to:
• Trust your sense of what's going on.
• Pay attention to the warnings your awareness and intuition can give you.
• Believe in your ability to verbally or physically defend yourself.
• Give yourself the caring, safety and security you deserve.
• When you believe in yourself, most people looking to cause a problem will leave you alone

Personal safety grows from the power, energy, and passion you want in every part of life. Personal safety has became a national priority and Personal safety products like Pepper Sprays are the best protection available. Pepper Sprays stop human attacks quickly, safely, and effectively. Pepper spray, used in self defense against dogs, human attackers, comes in an aerosol form and its active ingredient is OC (oleoresin capsicum) - a term used in reference to Chile peppers.
What does a pepper spray contain and how does it work?

Pepper spray products contain the ingredient called Oleoresin Capsicum (OC). They come in either 10% or 15% (the highest percentage allowed by law), and have a 2 million Scoville heat rating. OC is a directive of hot Cayenne Peppers. It is pure, non-toxic and nonflammable. OC is not an irritant like tear gas but an inflammatory agent. Contact with mucous membranes (eyes, nose, throat and lungs) causes an immediate dilation of the capillaries of the eyes, resulting in temporary blindness and constricted breathing. It does not interfere with necessary breathing to sustain life. Effects last 30 to 45 minutes. So victim can have enough time to escape and call for help.


Is the usage of a Pepper Spray legal?

Yes, but you may not carry it on an airplane and some US states have pepper spray restrictions and formulation rules as mentioned below: Massachusetts - you must have a Firearms Identification Card (FID) to possess and/or use pepper spray. Michigan - specific pepper or tear gas formulations are required. New York - pepper spray must be purchased from a New York state licensed firearm dealer or pharmacist. Wisconsin - state formulations do not allow UV dye in pepper spray.

NOTE: It is best to contact your state or local law enforcement department to know whether the usage of pepper spray is legal or not.
Pepper Spray is a valuable self defense tool, but could be a weapon if not used properly. Follow the basic safety precautions and rules. Enjoy the feeling of security, confidence it offers.
For more information on personal safety products please visit the Pro-Shop!

Knowing How Pepper Spray Works Could Save Your Life

How Pepper Spray Works

Also referred to as an OC or capsicum spray, pepper spray is a very effective inflammatory agent that can easily irritate the eyes and result in pain, temporary blindness, and tears. Pepper spray is an organic based agent that comes from cayenne peppers. The spray will normally come in canister form, which his often times small enough to be carried in your pocket or in a woman’s purse.

Once the spray is used it will immediately result in dilating of the capillaries in the eyes, resulting in temporary blindness, chocking, coughing, and tearing of the eyes. The spray will also cause an extremely intense burning on the skin and result in nausea. The mucous membranes will also begin to swell, making breathing very difficult. The spray is very painful, often resulting in the individual who was sprayed to double over and fall to the ground. It causes temporary incapacitation, due to the fact that the individual won’t be able to breathe or see properly.

Although the spray is very effective with most, it may not have as much of an effect on individuals who are on drugs, drunk, or already hysterical. With these types of people, you may need to give them a couple of quick sprays to the face to get the right effect. The overall effect on the length of the spray will all depend on the strength of the pepper spray. Most pepper spray effects will last anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour.

Often times the spray is used with controlling riots or in self defense situations. Pepper spray is very handy to have in violent assault situations, as a violent assault occurs every few seconds in the United States alone. Pepper spray is safer to use than guns or knives. It is also non lethal, although there have been rare cases where pepper spray has lead to death. In these cases however, there were medical conditions present that the spray aggravated – leading to death.

Pepper spray is great to have around your home, or to carry with you at all times. If a burglar breaks into your home while you are there, you obviously want something to protect yourself with. A can of pepper spray is very effective, and can easily stop someone from attacking you. All it takes is a direct spray to the eyes.

Although it is very effective to have with you, pepper spray is illegal to have in some countries, such as the United Kingdom.