Pepper spray is a simple and very effective defensive weapon that should be part of everyone’s survival arsenal. However, you can make your own and save a lot of money while also customizing the potency of the spray. All you need is a few ingredients that you can find in almost any store, some basic household items along with some protective gear.
Effective pepper spray has a high concentration of oils and powder from hot peppers. Try and find the hottest peppers you can get while shopping. Dried chilies will be the easiest to work with because you don’t have to dehydrate them before grinding, but you can use any fresh pepper that you like as well. You also need a jar of cut or diced garlic in oil and a bottle of the hottest hot sauce that you can find.
It is very important that you wear thick household or medical gloves, a face mask or bandanna as well as protective eye-wear while preparing the ingredients. Protect your skin from coming into contact with oil or pepper dust, and wear the face mask to prevent inhalation. Otherwise, you can expect to encounter severe and debilitating short-term irritation. Also, try to work in a well-ventilated area.
Preparing the Ingredients
Grind up the chilies in a food processor or coffee grinder into a fine powder and set aside. Take about three tablespoons of garlic, chop if necessary and place it in a blender or food processor. Add ½ cup of the hot sauce and blend thoroughly. Do not use a hand mixer or egg-beater. Once the ingredients have been mixed evenly, slowly add a tablespoon of the ground chilies at a time and continue mixing. You want a minimum of three tablespoons of peppers for every five ounces of spray. Don’t worry if the mixture gets thick as you blend because you will add water or vinegar to thin it out once you are finished.
Add a small amount of olive oil to the mix as a way to draw out the oils from the peppers and garlic. Stir, pour into a jar, cover and let rest overnight. You can let the mixture rest for a longer period of time if you want to extract more oils, but it is not necessary. Place a thin white cloth over a bowl and pour the mixture on top. Make sure the cloth is large enough to grab the sides and bring them together so you can squeeze the mixture through the material and into the bowl. This will help to release more oils while also separating particles from the liquid. You can use a coffee filter instead, but you will not be able to squeeze it as much, which can reduce the amount of liquid you have at the end as well as its potency.
Take a funnel and place it in a spray bottle and slowly pour in the liquid from the bowl until it is about half full. Fill the rest with water or vinegar until it nearly reaches the top, but leave some space for air to help its propulsion when you spray. You can fill the bottle with more mixture and less water or vinegar if you want to increase the concentration of the product. However, small particles that remain in the mix may clog the line and nozzle as it is sprayed, and extra water and vinegar will help to prevent this from happening. But, you can also use 100% mixture if it has been filtered thoroughly and remains free of particles.
Place the top on the spray bottle and thoroughly wash with hot, soapy water before wiping it dry and storing the product. You can use it any time, but make sure that you give it a good shake before you spray to mix ingredients that have settled on the bottom. Remember that the intensity of your pepper spray will depend on the quality of the ingredients. The quality of the spray itself will depend on what kind of bottle you use. Make sure to use bottles that can shoot a stream of spray at lest three meters to provide you with an adequate level of protection in an emergency.
