Most people are familiar with pepper spray when it comes to personal defense products. The active ingredient used to create the stinging effect of pepper spray is oleoresin capsicum. This oily resin ingredient comes from chili peppers, so that might explain a lot about its hot nature.

It is crucial to learn the pros and cons of any personal safety item before attempting to use it. After all, any self-defense product is a tool and limited by user’s abilities and other challenges.

So, is pepper spray effective? Are you aware of the capabilities of a pepper spray? What makes it effective against many self-protection items?

Here’s the deal:

What does pepper spray do? The active component ‘oleoresin capsicum’ can do a lot to the attacker. On spraying, it may cause severe irritation to the eyes, respiratory tract and skin. Further, it results in involuntary coughing sensations, closure of eyes and inability to breathe. Find out more on pepper spray effects in this article.

What research says about its effectiveness?

Many surveys determine the efficacy of pepper spray in the real world. A research paper concludes that OC tends to be effective also on people who are under the influence of drugs which is not the case with CS and CN gas.

Police officers who had more experience in using pepper spray has found OC as being more effective than those with less experience. In addition, pepper spray was also reported to incapacitate suspects, and ease arrests.

Another study of National Institute of Justice reported that the number of injuries by police officers reduced significantly after pepper spray was introduced. Use of excessive force also got decreased.

However, there are few cases where exposure to pepper spray caused the death of asthma patients.

But still, there are some situations where pepper spray becomes ineffective.

How to use pepper spray more effectively?

Any self-defense product becomes useless if you don’t know how to use it. Here’s what you should know.

Make your pepper spray accessible

Pepper spray isn’t going to do any good if it’s buried at the bottom of your purse during an attack. So, always have it in somewhere you can find easily especially when you’re alone or exiting or entering in any dark building.

Proper grip

A concern that many have is, what if the attacker takes the canister away and gain possession of it? Well, you can resolve this issue with the right grip. First thing is to know which finger you should be using to deploy the canister with. And, it’s your thumb. That way you can use other four fingers to grab securely around the product.

Arming and disarming your device

Be certain about how to arm or disarm your personal safety product. In order to arm your device, you simply make the switch and slide.  Disarm the device only when you know you are in safe place.

Know spray patterns

Once you have armed it, and ready to spray, you must know what spray patters the device has. Pepper (OC) spray comes in various forms such as a fogger, foam, stream and gel. In most outdoor situations, stream and gel are the most popular spray patterns.

Final tips to ensure effectiveness

Pepper spray is undoubtedly an effective easy-to-use tool. It has a proven history of success. Make sure you know laws of the state where you currently reside in regarding use of pepper spray.

Find the best pepper spray on the market. Look out for product’s features before buying a good device. Be aware of everything required to operate your self-defense product efficiently.

From strength of spray to the size of canister, you must know all. Do practice to make sure you will be able to successfully fend off the attackers.