Use warm water. After a day or two, when the wax is softened, use a rubber-bulb syringe to gently squirt warm water into your ear canal.Soften the wax. Use an eyedropper to apply a few drops of baby oil, mineral oil, glycerin or hydrogen peroxide in your ear canal.If your eardrum doesn't contain a tube or have a hole in it, these self-care measures may help you remove excess earwax that's blocking your ear canal: If earwax blockage becomes a problem, you or your doctor can take simple steps to remove the wax safely. Never attempt to dig out excessive or hardened earwax with available items, such as a paper clip, a cotton swab or a hairpin. This often just pushes wax deeper into the ear, which can cause serious damage to the lining of your ear canal or eardrum. Earwax blockages commonly occur when people try to clean their ears on their own by placing cotton swabs or other items in their ears. It cleans, lubricates and protects your ear canal by trapping dirt and slowing the growth of bacteria. Bottom line: Ear candling is ineffective and potentially dangerous, and we do not recommend it at any time for any reason.Earwax is a helpful and natural part of your body's defenses. It is of significant concern that some ear candles are advertised for use with children (including babies), potentially placing them at great risk-with no known or documented benefit.Īs hearing professionals and doctors, we strongly recommend prior to undertaking ear candling, consumers and patients are urged to discuss the matter with their physician, audiologist, or hearing aid dispenser. “Ear candling is dangerous (even when used as directed by the manufacturer) and serves no legitimate purpose and there is no scientific evidence showing effectiveness for use. Jackie Clark, PhD and associate professor at the School of Behavioural and Brain Sciences at UT Dallas puts it rather damningly: Moreover, the heat funnelled into the ear was purported to cause pain and discomfort in a variety of patients. If anything, they found that some participants had been left with candle wax deposited in their ears. Seely, Quigley and Langman also extensively compared patients’ ear canals before and after candling and discovered that there was no reduction whatsoever in the amount of earwax found. The number of complications that arise from ear candling far outweigh any imagined benefits.

Of course there are arteries, veins, lymph systems and neural networks at play, yet there are no ‘empty’ interconnecting passageways to allow for the alleged transfer of dirt and wax. The ear drum does not allow for the supposed transmission of fluid and gas between the various parts that make up the inner ear. A far more effective method is microsuction, which you can read about here. According to a study by Seely, Quigley and Langman in 1996, it actually provides no suction at all. Put simply, it requires a great deal of suction to actually work candling does not provide the requisite amount.

The problem, however, is that when earwax is compacted, it is hard, sticky and difficult to remove. Proponents assert that by lighting the candle, a vacuum is created which removes earwax. Indeed, it’s more in line with acupuncture or homeopathy than real medical practice. Unfortunately for those who argue for it, ear candling is just as dangerous as over-the-counter earwax removal tools. So, what are they? What does the science say? The scientific consensus around ear candling is unambiguous – if not devastating – in its conclusions. Sounds too good to be true, right? That’s because it most certainly is. Supporters of ear candling assert that they can treat the following: Others still insist that the heat from the candle melts the wax inside the ear, which in turn falls out over the coming days. The pointed end is then inserted into the ear, while the wider end is lit.Īdvocates for ear candling claim that the warmth from the flame causes a vacuum effect, pulling earwax and other impurities from the ear canal and into the hollow candle. Also known as ear cones or auricular candles, ear candles are hollow tubes made from linen or cotton that have been wound into a cone and lined with beeswax, paraffin or soy wax and allowed to harden.

Ear wax removal cone