Mace is one of the original self-defense weapons. And it's been the best friend of many women, college students, senior citizens, and others who need a portable device to help them fend off would-be attackers. At first thought it is amazing that with all of the new self-defense technologies out there, mace is still around, and as popular as ever. However, it is easy to see why Mace is still such a popular choice for personal safety.

Let's go back a few steps, and look into the very beginnings of Mace as an essential self-defense weapon. Mace is actually a consumer version of tear gas, the old pal of police officers who would use the noxious agent to stop riots and put would-be bad guys (and sometimes rowdy college students) on the ground and out of commission. Considering its industrial-strength chemical agents were designed for use with the police, Mace is a very able self-defense tool in most situations.

But Mace isn't perfect. It works, by irritating the mucous membranes of a person's eyes, nose and throat, causing them to tear, run and otherwise flare up with pain. They may get a headache, feel dizzy and have tightness in their chest. What isn't this perfect you ask? Well, as many cops have found out, if someone is high on drugs, drunk off his rocker or even completely out of his mind, he won't tend to feel pain. No pain means no gain if you are using Mace.

That could put you, an average American citizen, in a very tight bind if you are attacked by someone and the Mace doesn't work. For a cop, this problem isn't such a big deal, because they're also armed with things like a billy club and gun. But for us, we generally have one self-defense weapon, and if that doesn't work, we could be in for it.

Enter the next generation of Mace products, including products like Mace Pepper Spray and Mace Pepper Foam. These products come with the original Mace tear gas chemicals in them, but they also have hot pepper mixed in, called oleoresin capsicum. It is the same chemical, in effect, that causes hot peppers and fiery salsa to burn your tongue and get your sweating. But in the case of Mace, this capsicum, or OC for short, is super concentrated.

Instead of just causing someone pain and tearing eyes, OC causes a person to stop and drop. It is an inflammatory, instead of just an irritant. OC causes eyes, nose, and throat to burn. An attacker's throat swells to the point where he can only cough and can barely breathe. Their eyes swell so shut that they cannot see out of them. In fact, the blood vessels in their actual eye balls swell so much that the person goes temporarily blind. Problems with their eyes may make them loose their balance and the lack of oxygen will hopefully stop them from being able to run after you.

In other words, no one is able to fight through the effects of OC. An attacker has no choice but to feel the heat, and leave you alone. It is this combination of old-fashioned tear gas and OC, in an easy to use and easy to carry form that makes today's Mace the new friend of everyday citizens everywhere.