Pepper spray is often recommended as the main self-defense weapon. It is easy to understand why pepper spray is so popular, given its availability, low cost and no need to obtain permits or licenses to purchase it. However, if you are thinking about buying this means of self-defense, it is worth considering the reasons not to do so.

8 reasons not to use pepper spray

1. It takes time to prepare the pepper spray for use

Most likely the pepper spray will be lying in your bag, backpack or in the glove compartment of the car, and it will take time for its extraction and positioning in your hand. Self–defense weapons should always be at hand - in a belt case or a pocket of clothing, their search should not take time.

2. The concentration of active ingredients varies depending on the pepper spray brand

There are a lot of brands of pepper spray on the market. Buying them in online stores or on marketplaces, you will not be able to check their effectiveness.

3. Use in windy weather

Using pepper spray, that is, aerosol, can be a difficult task when it comes to the weather. The wind is your worst enemy when you use pepper spray, but rain and snow also negatively affect its effectiveness. If the conditions are completely unfavorable, the pepper mixture can blow back on you, causing irritation of the mucous membranes and skin, as well as a strong cough. This can hinder your ability to resist an attack or run away from a threat.

4. The expiration date of the pepper spray

On average, a pepper spray can becomes unusable after two from the date of its manufacture, and not from the date of purchase. Over time, pepper spray loses its original effectiveness. It is worth considering other types of non-lethal weapons whose service life is 5 or more years.

5. Health risks

If you have diseases that pepper spray can negatively affect — for example, asthma or heart problems — and if the pepper spray blows back in your direction during use, it can cause serious problems. Anyone in your vicinity with such health problems can also be seriously affected. You are responsible for any means of self-defense that you use, so why use a means that is difficult to control?

6. Escalation

The situation may worsen: instead of de-escalating the situation, it will escalate. It is impossible to predict how the aggressor will react to pepper spray. It's likely that this could infuriate him, making the situation worse rather than better. There is no way to know what might happen. It would be rational to use more reliable and unique means of self-defense.

7. Inefficiency of pepper spray

Many of those on whom you will spray pepper spray have probably been exposed to it before. After being sprayed with it, you learn to deal with its effects - this is one of the reasons why it is used in police exercises or self-defense courses. Many criminals have been repeatedly exposed to it, and its use will not have much effect.

8. False sense of security

It is important to understand that pepper spray is not a guarantee of safety. Just because you have pepper spray—or other weapons, it doesn't mean you can or should take risks. Pepper spray gives a false sense of security, which can be dangerous in the long run.