Do Ear Candles really work? I mean really?
Well, that’s what I set out to find last week. I’ve used ear candles a few times in the past and felt that my ears were much cleaner afterwards. I’ve had holistic doctors and herbalists recommend this practice to me to treat vertigo and dizziness. Whenever I’ve felt particularly dizzy, ear candling helps without a doubt.
There are a lot of opinions on the effectiveness of ear candling. Some people think they cure everything and some people think they’re hogwash. So I decided to test the ear candling procedure on my entire family. They were SO excited!
Actually, they didn’t have a choice. That’s how the blogging world works, family! Deal with it.
Our experiment started out VERY official-like.
We turned on Wreck-It Ralph to begin the experiment. We needed a good distraction because ear candling takes some time. Also, Wreck-It Ralph is awesome.
We started with the kids, who waited very patiently while we candled their ears. Is that the correct terminology? Anyway, we held the candles at an angle of exactly 45 degrees like the package said. We cut the candles down as they burned and when we got to the end of each candle, we opened them up to see what was inside.
Gross! Look at all that wax!
I mean, you can’t just see a pile of all that ear wax without taking a picture and sharing it with the world. Am I right?
Each family member reported feeling clean ears free of wax! Since it was New Year’s Day, we officially dubbed it New EARS Day (hardy har har).
Now for the REAL test.
I decided that for this to be a real test, we needed to have a control. We needed to know, for sure, if that ear wax I’d collected was truly ours, or if it was just wax from the candle. We burned one more candle all by itself, and waited patiently for it to be done.
What was in the control candle, i.e. the candle that wasn’t placed on an ear?
BUNCH ‘O LYIN’ SNAKES!
Makin’ us think we had extracted all of the ear wax out of our ears!
Actually, we shouldn’t really be surprised. On the package of the candles we used, it states:
“These multi-purpose hollow candles are intended and labeled for ‘entertainment purposes only.’ It is up to the customer to choose how they want to use their candles.”
Entertainment purposes?! We were watching Wreck-It Ralph, but I hardly think we will continue to combine ear candles with every movie we watch.
So what are ear candles really for?
Well, according to the HealthPsych website:
“The smoke and warmth soften the hardened ear wax which allows your body to excrete it naturally. This claim is much more viable since studies show that the wax collected in the bottom of the candle is not ear wax but candle wax.”
Also, it turns out that ear candling is a legit traditional practice. It dates back as far as 2500 B.C.
“This energy cleansing technique has been around for many thousands of years and has been found in nearly every culture since the beginning of civilization. Also referred to as ear coning, there has been archeological evidence found that this practice was even performed using glazed clay or stone pottery cones in antiquity. There is no argument to the fact that humans have been coning or candling for eons. The exact origin of candling is unknown, but there is a great deal of evidence indicating its use in many different cultures around the world.” (source)
What do I think about ear candling now?
It was disappointing to find out we weren’t extracting wax out of our ears. But I had heard that this was a myth before, so I wasn’t all too surprised. I definitely think ear candling is a good practice for softening ear wax, especially if you tend to get buildup. After my husband’s ear candling, we flushed his ears out with warm water and we were able to flush out a ton (I mean a TON) of wax. Yeah, not gonna take pictures of that one! Also, my son mentioned that he felt his ear draining while doing the ear candling, so that’s a good thing.
What do you think? Are you surprised or have you always known that ear candles don’t really extract wax? Will you continue or start to use ear candles now? Tell me your thoughts below!
I loved that you said that what hardens the ear wax is the smoke and warmth that comes from the ear candle. With this in mind, I will consider shopping for ear candles that I can use for my kids and myself. We have been dealing with ear wax problems for a few months now, so I will do your tips.
I’ve used ear candles for over 3 decades and they do work. Of course the medical establishment is going to poo poo or suppress anything that works.
I’ve used many different brands and wax coatings of candles, have used hundreds of them so have a very good grasp on the subject as to ‘colors’, ‘is that really ear wax’ etc. Burn the candle down to a good 4″ or so. The lower it burns, the more heat and draw. I keep reading from ‘experts’ about how there is no ‘draw’. Read on. You must also position the candle so it is not fitting loose in the ear. Put it deep and connecting to your skin so that there are hardly any noises heard until you get down to the last inches or so. You WILL feel warmth and a pulling sensation as liquefied wax is being drawn out.
My first candles did not produce much, a bit of yellow mixed in with clearer wax and some powder residue. More candles, more mixed colors and residue. Around the 6th or so was when I felt I was reaching deep into the ear. Inside of THAT cut open candle was something very mysterious to all you skeptical folks. Sand. Mostly black grains of sand and a few beige grains mixed into the wax. Yup. Interesting. Examined it even with a magnifier, had others look. Yup. SAND. I’d always surfed since young but had not been surfing in over two decades. Soooooooo, to all you skeptical naysayers, explain to me how sand came out of my ear over TWO DECADES after I’d been in the ocean surfing, if there’s no ‘draw’? Candling works.
Thank you so much! I’ve also seen them work!! My ex was a painter, his candles had paint in them!! A friends husband dud drywall. His had white chunks that appeared to be drywall! Also, a friend, whose ears i did myself, actually had soapstone dust in hers… She cut soapstone for a living… I dont dispute that they have tbeir own residue, but i do know they work..the ones i recently bought say hold at 45°angle. It seems like before the ones i tried had a 20 someyhing degree angle. Idk. Lol
I think that sand is coming from inside your head given scientific studies have debunked this just like the blogger did with the control candles
Truth
It is fascinating to read about everyone’s experiences. My husband and I have used various types of candles for some years. Some times absolutely nothing comes out and other times copious amounts come out. Whether anything comes or not, candles always help with dampness in the ear or sinus problems. However, I’d like to note:
1.) Paraffin candles often have nothing inside at all or sometimes some thing. (So they seem like a good indicator of human wax pulled.) If you are trying to impress clients and fear they may not have ear wax, you will always go with bees wax – see below)
2.) Bees Wax candles seem to always have yellow wax – (that looks like human ear wax but we’ve had our doubts about the volume and whether it is human or not.)
3.) Soy Wax often has lots of yellow wax but like Paraffin it is unlikely to turn to the consistency and color as human ear wax.
It appears to us, that depending on the manufacture and products used in a candle, the true or false result in regard to amounts of true ear wax are seemingly defined.
A & V – (Pragmatists)
Cool, I learned something new today.
It’s not a “legit traditional practice”, and the source you cite is no use at all — no academic science there. They are simply lying. Nobody seems to know where/when it was invented, but there is no evidence for the various claims of it coming from Native Americans, Atlantis, or whatever other “tribe” sounds cool to hippies.
I believe they work. I’ve used them for a few years now, and always have a dark orange column of wax at the bottom of the unburnt candle. I’m also a scientist with an M.Sc. in biology, so I did my own experiment. I had a sealed 2-pack of candles, burned one in my ear and then burned the second just holding it in my hand over a plate. When I cut open the one in my ear, it had the same dark orange waxy material as before. The one I held in my hand had some pale yellowish powder and that’s it. No dark orange wax. My wife and I will take turns candling each other about once per year. Mine is always full while her’s had maybe just a little once in a while. So why the difference if we’re burning the exact same candles from the same package??
You gotta light more than 2 candles mate. Try burning random candles without sticking them in your ear. I bet you some will have “pale yellowish powder” and some will have “dark orange waxy material”.
Very funny observation buddy. Is he really a scientist?
a masters in science, and that’s valid research? no wonder kids believe….BS
sample size, large enough
control sample
random selection
double blind
biased reporting
reliability and validity?
my 1010 psych students know more about research methods…it’s not rocket science you know
just because you believe or buy something, your ‘degree’ means nothing, to quote and or cite your education to promote bogus science, is unethical, at least in my field, and I”m an m.ed.
They work! I can I’m finally breath threw my nose the same night I did this and I wasn’t able to breath threw my nose in 6 years
I think a lot of ear problems are due to fluid…So people are seeking ear candling when they feel uncomfortable or blocked…Fire is Oxygen…Oxygens are opposite to Hydrogens, or fluids…When you put fire into your ear, you are removing fluid from the area…This causes immediate relief of blocked feeling…By dehydrating the area, any solids will shrink…So pressure is reduced…Then you feel better…It also removes fluid on the ear, water in the ear, problems…This is excellent if there is infection…Often it clears up a fluid filled area that could be a breeding ground for further problems…Ear candling is not a hoax…It is just not what people are thinking it is…But it does work…Just not in the way expected…if you have fluids in the ear, adding more fluids to clean, is not the best idea…
I just tried ear candling today, and it was a beeswax candle, so there was the yellowish wax inside. I did however find fluid at the very tip of the candle. If I had to guess, I would say it was about 1/2 maybe 1/4 teaspoon of clear fluid. I have been having sinus problems and would definitely agree with your comments.
Well, since you asked, our experience is that they definitely reduce the number of drainage/ear infections that I experience. The first time I ever heard of these I was working accounting for a massage therapist who offered this. I get frequent ear infections and I have weird sinus drainage issues. Using these a couple of times per season has reduced my need for antibiotics from resulting infections down to maybe once in the last 3 years? Even if they aren’t taking out wax, I really do believe that it’s pulling other liquids and such out that can cause infections. Plus I think it’s kinda relaxing and sounds really cool while you’re doing it. That’s just my two-cents, though, which is worth just about that much. 😉
Well, I’m surprised that no one else has done this. I’m a chiropractor and have successfully ear candled friends and family for years. I look into the ear with an otoscope prior to and then again after ear candling. I can see the wax buildup before and less wax after. I do occasionally see a little powder candle residue in the outer canal after candling. I’ve never had a candle melt wax into someone’s ear, but I only use high quality ear candles. Once, my four year old granddaughter had such a bad ear infection that I could visibly see the gunk in her ear without using the otoscope. The antibiotic drops were just sitting in the outer canal. I ear candled her to remove the gunk from her ear which cleaned it enough to allow the antibiotic drops to reach the inner canal. My granddaughter thought it was so soothing that she kept asking for me to candle her again. Of course the medical profession is going to be against it because they make money if you have to go see your ENT. Cleaning ears is the number one reason people see an ENT. If you clean your own ears, they lose money.
When you get your ears cleaned at the Dr it’s painful and invasive. They use a high powered jet of water and metal instruments-I’d much rather lay my head on a table and wait, while the candle warms my ear canal and allows the wax to go away.
I know this article is older, but I just found it today, and obviously others find it on occasion too, so I just wanted to add this…. ear candling may not pull out the wax, but it does have benefits. There have been a few real experiments done that prove that some of the things pulled out of the ear are bacterias, toxins, fluid/moisture, etc. So even if it’s not pulling out the wax, it can still be a great way to help with sinus and allergy relief. Some of the powder that is created that is in the candle when u take it apart after doing the candling is from excess moisture being pulled from the ear and mixing with whatever the candle is made of leaving the powder behind. So when u candle ur ears u arent being completely duped. There are some real true benefits of doing them. I use them regularly for sinus and allergy problems and extra fluid build up and can tell a big difference after using them. Ear infections would be another good time to put them to use. It’s not all just about the “ear wax” folks!!
So, I know this goes completely against what all of you are saying but hear me out. When my little sister was 4, she got a blue crayon stuck deep in her ear. My dad got most of it, and the doctor removed the rest and flushed the ear, and everything was fine. 10 years later my mom heard about ear candles and found someone in our area who does it at her salon so she booked our appointments and we all went. Whenever they opened the candle for my sisters ear there was the huge string of wax (ear or candle, however you see it) and it had blue specks and streaks all through it. So while it’s not perfect, and it may don’t work like it claims, it does do something.
I agree. They work in many ways outside of just sticky wax!! U can see my above comment.
Yep I agree that it works.
However, If the ear drum was perforated you could cause more harm than good. The end result could be more painful than when you started.
I’ve been doing candling for years…I’ve had many experiences with it.
1. Now, how do I explain little ear hairs found stuck in the wax?
2. One of my kids actually had a little picnic bug stuck in the wax?? It was long dead and dried up…but it was “vacuumed out” with the candling! (I know yuck!)
3. My father in law used to have terrible hearing problems from using earplugs at work. Because he had very wet cerumen the plugs would shove wax down in the canal and compact it. After candling, we would find all sorts of hair and debris in the wax, when we opened the candles! His ears were visibly clogged (visible with a scope) before but after candling they were clear. He would even complain that everything was too loud, for a few days following, until he had adjusted!
Anyhoo! It’s because of these experiences that I believe ear candling does work and it’s been very beneficial for our family.
Renae, that was great info. Great story.
You held them at 45 degrees?? Despite the instructions thats wrong, you should be lying on your side and have the candle straight up, 90degrees to your body…
Great method its work for me!
I think when trying to answer a question like “Do they work,” you have to define what that means. Going into it, you don’t necessarily know what you’re looking for. I think if you’re doing ear candling specifically to remove ear wax, you’re probably not going to be satisfied with this process. If however you have a general feeling of stuffiness or pressure or fluid in the ears, or a buildup of chi (!), or are experiencing dizziness or fogginess, they will help.
I have enough of a “science head” to know that the science behind the hype is pretty sketchy. However, having used them 4-5 times in my life, I have to say that each time I have used them I’ve emerged feeling amazing. It’s not just one thing that’s going on here. Doing something with fire this close to the body naturally brings out a bit of fear or concern. That alone increases one’s awareness during the process and, after surviving it, gives a sense of confidence and relief. And during the procedure, the sound… most people find that watching and listening to a fireplace is a very relaxing and peaceful experience. Imagine that sound, a much smaller version of it, in your ears! You do hear the sound of the cone burning. You hear the low whoosh of the heated air rising, you hear the slight crackle of the material as it burns. Something is happening here!
Also there are ear cones, and then there are ear cones. I have always used King Cones, I don’t have any experience with other brands, but I will say that having a large cone like these allows for more warm air to be generated and for a less-impeded flow. They are more expensive than some, but if you want to have the best experience possible, for something that you’re only going to be doing every once in a great while, it seems best to go for the best ones you can find.
Finally, a comment on the stuff you find in the cones afterwards. After the process, I have also cut them open to see what’s in there, and there’s generally been two kinds of stuff. There’s the “wax” like the above, but there’s also a darker and harder substance that I’ve seen. It’s been over 7 years since I’ve done it and I can’t remember exactly what it looked like, but there were definitely two different types of effluent or debris. (Oh, and it was a pretty stinky process too! Ventilation is important!)
In the end, as with so many things that don’t seem to make sense at first, a little voluntary suspension of disbelief can have you open up to a new experience. If nothing happens for you, I’d be surprised, but at least you’d know that you gave it a whirl and it just wasn’t your thing. For many of us, tired of doctors, drugs and dis-ease, it can be a very satisfying experience.
I found it really helpful if your ear is plugged with water. Also I’m really surprised at your test because there is always a ton of wax left when my daughter does it and I end up with a quarter of what she gets and its candles from the same package.
Ear candles work extraordinarily well for the folks selling them $$$!
Unfortunately, they are a hoax …
Best to use ear wax removal solution, warm water and a suction bulb (if you are cheap like me). Otherwise, go to an otolarogologist (ear, nose & throat MD).
I have to add my experience to the list: when I was travelling in Italy with my friend a few years ago, we spent a whole day in the ocean and when we got back to our lodgings, we both had earaches. We walked down to the local Farmacia (Pharmacy), and pantomimed/ explained in broken Italian what our problem was. They sold us ear candles, and we candled each other according to the instructions and BOTH of our painful symptoms subsisted. I don’t know how it is they work, but I’m certain they somehow dilate the eustachian tubes.
I assume you meant that your symptoms “subsided,” not “subsisted.”
I have allergies and have had 3 ear infections in the last 4 mths. Always was curious about the ear candles, think I’ll try it. It can’t hurt, maybe it’ll help.
We use to make a cone out of news paper and placed it in the ear. Wax did come out
That sounds extremely dangerous! Also there’s no way that a cone of paper would burn long enough to do what a quality candle can (well, supposedly) do.
My dad did this when we were kids and had an earache! The release of air & pressure always felt so good!
I was thinking of visiting my Chinese massage place that I go to and (because I’d seen it on their brochure and thought about trying it) I was going to ring up this arvo and make an appointment for ear candling, to give it a try. Thought I’d have a quick look on the internet beforehand – glad I did. It’s potentially dangerous. Watch this ear doctor do an experiment using a clear glass – instead of an ear – and see what gets blown into (not sucked out) of the ear. Smoke and soot – right into your ear canal. Surely that can’t be a good thing LOL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvTU2HFquCQ
If you check up properly you will find that this video is showing the ear candle is upside down and done incorrectly so of course if you did this it would have the reverse side effects of what should happen. The ear candling is more to do with relieving pressure and warming the ear for purpose of easing pain and offering relaxation and most packets state it is not an ear wax removal practice.
Yes it is for ear wax removal. I am almost 50 and my mother used this method. I had not used this method in many years and always had problems with buildup and infections. Started to use them again and makes a huge difference plus saves me a bunch of money not going to see the doctor. I’d rather pay $8.00 than a couple hundred for the same treatment.
I did the same experiment as you and my candle that I did not put in my ear looked exactly like the one that I had put in my ear! It had powder and wax in it. HOAX! I bought a sample pack so I have a BUNCH left over!
I read all of the above…
And it works for me… It is actual wax coming out of the ear
Use it inly if the ears get plugged up from Sinus
problems
My husband and I both use them there are times his has nothing but dust so I do not agree with this post.
Candling does not draw wax from your ear. It does nothing. The wax you see is from the burning candle.
I’m hurt , and now my right ear hurts and has been hurting since I did the ear candling . Wonder what that could mean . Side effect from ear candling maybe ? Ear candling gone wrong ? Great . Lol . No more for me.
Oh my Jesus , I just did ear candling for the first time today and chunks of ear wax, or what I thought to be ear wax, came out , and I felt accomplished and better about myself , just to do research afterwards , because something told me to see if other people reaped the same benefits , or what I thought to be benefits, of ear candling , ONLY TO FIND OUT ear wax probably wasn’t removed from my ear and that sticking a candle in my ear was for mere entertainment . Great . Just great . (Sorry for the run on sentence folks)
You did an experiment and found out essentially that ear candling does not work, yet people still write in to say it does.
Let me ask one question, how would ear candling work? If it created enough of a vacuum to “suck” wax and toxins out, don’t you think the ear drum might come out too? If it created air currents (almost impossible in a closed ended tube, essentially a cup), then air must come from somewhere to replace the air that has gone, and that “from somewhere” is past a burning candle where it would heat up to possibly burning temperatures. Yet ear burn is never reported – possibly because there is no current.
I can’t fault the spiritual experience, but as a way of getting wax and toxins out, candling does not work.
Solution for this question is very simple. I’m a retired family medical doctor. Years ago while holidaying by a lake, a neighbor came by to demonstrate candling for ear wax removal. Fortunately, I had my “doctor’s bag” along, including and otoscope with which I could look into the ear canal. So . . . I looked into one of the kid’s ears first, allowed the neighbor to candle the ear canal, saw the impressive “wax” on the ear-piece attached to the candle, wow, I thought this really works; however, I looked into the ear with my otoscope and . . . you guessed it, the previously observed wax, which was in the child’s ear before the candling was untouched and still there. It was a bit of holiday fun; however, candling doesn’t actually remove any wax (cerumen) from the ear canal. The best way to remove it is with suction, in trained hands it can be safely removed with a syringe full of warm water. If you use cold water you may get dizzy. Problem solved for all but those who get emotionally involved in the process.
I had my ears candled for the first time five months ago. I felt like someone could blow through one ear and the air would come out the other. After forty years of nasal congestion and asthma, this was the first time I had felt like that. I didn’t blow my nose once in the next two months. Once I did, I went straight back to the ear candler, and this time I haven’t blown my nose for three months. I will be going back, my voice isn’t as nasal and overall I feel great and I want that feeling again. The amount of wax who cares? It works for me and I don’t understand why doctors have never even mentioned it. The pain of the methods the doctors use is unnecessary, and if you have ear, nose, throat and chest problems I would say give it a go. If you have the success I have had with it, who cares how it works – it just does, and you will feel relief as I do. Judge for yourself, thankfully we human beings come in all shapes, sizes, habits and our individuality means that what might work for me may not work for you and vice versa, but let’s keep our minds open to a cure that will suit us. Keep looking as doctors have a lot of answers but not all.
I’ve had ENT issues my whole life, had sinus surgery previously and need more done now. I find the ear candles soothe aggressive irritation of my ear canals! Hydrogen peroxide also helps but can tickle in there. Forced-sneezing helps but hurts. Yes, when you live like this you will try anything, and you can’t ‘just go to the doctor’ when it’s late at night and you are frustrated by itchy sore ears and can’t sleep.
I used to believe that was my ear wax inside the candle after burning! After all, it does go that orangey-colour… but then it does seem a lot harder and more brittle that ear wax, plus has that lovely candle-fragrance… I’m not surprised that it’s not really ear wax, but disappointed that people tell you it is.
So I agree that ear candles DO have benefits, but think their marketing is misleading as to what those benefits actually are. Maybe the makers should change the candle wax colour to bright purple so people won’t feel deceived!?
I agree with you…It works for me too.
Amen, and well said! Best
Post in this entire thread!!!
Thank you for the info and to all of the comments. ..
The original use of ear candling was not to remove wax. It was for spiritual purposes, ie, its a spiritual practice, like praying. Guess all that info got lost in the marketing rush, heh? LOL. Try doing it and then meditating after or going to Church. Ancients said they could “hear God better”. Good for dreams too.
Wow! I’m so glad I ran across this tonight. I recently used 5 candles on each ear and really believed I was pulling that much wax out of my ears. I’ve had my ears flushed out at a dr’s office a couple times, so I was expecting to see a lot of wax in the candles. Disappointing, but glad I won’t be wasting anymore money in the future.
but wait, how do you explain the differences in the boy’s and girl’s results?
Just different lengths we burned it. Girls are more worried about burning their hair so they don’t like to burn it too close.
I burned a candle to on its own and what was in it looked exactly like the candle after it was in my ear.
The benefits of ear candles go beyond ear wax issues. The heat and suction draws subtle energy toxins out. You could think of this as a release of stagnant chi. Ear candling has something in common with acupuncture or moxa. It opens up the meridian flow in the head, and can be relaxing to the entire body. As you become more energy-aware, you can recognize the benefits of ear candling more easily. I understand it as a form of energy healing.
Thank you for testing that one. I have used many, many, many, I mean many candles. My one ear get so compacted by wax I can’t hear on that side. It’s like I am underwater. I always thought it was my wax coming out. I would try over the counter ear wax removal products as well, because it is always so hard to get my ear to open again. You do anything sometimes to make thing work. (It is frustrating that it was never my ear wax). I finally went to the doctor one time. which I hate to do, but nothing was working, and not being able to hear very well, with 5 kids running round well….. I just couldn’t take it. It’s a little achy but mostly just annoying. It had been that way for over a week! When I called the doctor they thought it was weird that I wanted to come in for that, but the nurse looked in my ear and could not believe how much wax I had. I wanted to say “told ya so”! She used warm water, a REALY big syringe. stuck it in my ear and blasted my ear drum with water. It took quite a few times but out came MY ear wax. And yes, still gross. My ear felt bruised after ward for a few days, but I could HEAR!
I am sad I have spent so much money on these candles. I feel frustrated because this is how natural thing work alot of the time. It feels like you get tricked into things. This has been my hang up. You go to children’s pain reliever because it reduces fevers every time. With everyone. I don’t have to wonder if it’s working. With natural medicine maybe it works on one kid but not the other. I feel bad using over the counter medicine because of the chemicals and what is it doing in the long term. With my health and my kids health has been failing, it’s time to change.
I just found your blog and am very grateful. You believe alot of the way I do.
Thank you.
I feel the same way sometimes, I’ve been duped into so many supplements and alternative treatments, but I do think ear candles are good for softening wax, just not necessarily for draining it:)
My Chilean grandfather used to use the ear candles, along with other practices that we thought were crazy- it’s good to know that they may really work after all!
For recurrent ear problems in our family, we bought a home otoscope ($20) and a little book with pictures of what normal and abnormal ear canals look like. Now we can see if there is ear wax build up, or if the ear it is starting to look infected- without the costly doctor’s visit.
I also read a book entitled “No More Antibiotics” – it has some massage techniques to use around the ears and sinus cavities. It really helps to alleviate fluid in the ears and sinus pressure. We also use hydrogen peroxide- just a few drops in the ears when someone is starting to feel ear pain, and it really helps as well.
Now I know one more thing to try- ear candles!
I had to leave a comment regarding the candles. While I figured most of the wax left in the candle after the treatment was from the candle, candles are made from wax after all, I did feel that they were capable of removing some wax and “other things”. The “other things” I am referring to would be a bug. When my granddaughter was visiting us one summer she got a gnat in her ear and naturally freaked out. I retrieved an ear candle and told her that would get the gnat out for sure. I wasn’t sure, but I wanted her to calm down. So after the “candle procedure” we looked to see if the gnat had been removed and to my surprise there it was, stuck to the wax. So while the candles may not be that great at removing wax from ears, they are great at removing gnats!
Good to know!
I have done many ear candles over the years and some have that wax and some do not. I am still confused by this!
So, you’ll appreciate this story. My parents got into this practice back when we lived on Pinon Ct. We had so much fun looking at all the earwax when we were done. But then we heard it was a hoax — didn’t think to burn a control candle (smart!), but stopped doing it anyway. Mainly because my dad was an insurance claims adjuster and feared we would burn down the entire house during our earwax removal sessions.
Well … I am glad to see their suspicions were right! Too bad! The candling did feel nice while it was going on (though I was a little scared my whole head would be lit afire should my parents accidentally drop the candle at any point).
I will say, the best holistic way to remove wax is to go into the doctor and have them irrigate your ears. WOW. It feels amazing and all they use is warm water and a device kind of like a gentle water pik. I had it done once when I was in high school and I haven’t needed it since. That was over 10 years ago. Dillon also had it done about a decade ago and even though he insists his ears must be packed with wax by now, whenever he goes in the doctor always tells him they look great.
The other thing you can do is put a little hydrogen peroxide in your ear while you lay on a pillow. It bubbles and fizzes and feels pretty good, too.
Just don’t use Q-tips! Ears make wax for a reason and there’s no sense in digging around in there! If you have wax compacting issues you can always have them irrigated or soften the wax through various means. But Q-tips are usually the culprit behind wax compacting anyway.
Haha, that’s funny! I used to totally think it was ear wax too! It’s true that they do soften the ear wax because Kevin had some major nasty ear wax going on and it came out really easy by flushing his ears with a big syringe of warm water.
And good tip about the hydrogen peroxide, that does work!
I found out when I married my husband, who is Chinese, that the consistency of ear wax is actually different among other races. Asians typically have very dry flaky wax, unlike most Caucasians and people of African origin who have sticky wax and First Nations people are a mixed bag of both types. In countries that have dry wax the use an ear pick. It’s a little metal stick with a small hook on the end, they use it to scrape the insides of their ears gently and the wax flakes off. For many they don’t even need to do that, it just naturally flakes away and bathing is enough to wash away the flakes.
If all the ear candle does is soften the wax with heat, then drawing a hot bath and keeping your ears submerged, or blowing hot air on them from a hair dryer (this one is actually a great way to naturally relieve pain during an ear infection too) or getting 10cc needless syringes from your local medical supply or drug store and gently irritating your ears with warm water will much more cheaply and safely do the same thing as the ear candles.
“Irrigating,” not “irritating!”
This is very interesting! I am Korean and have always had issues with itchy ears.. my wax is VERY dry and flaky – not to mention almost nonexistent.. and I always watched others clean their ears with q-tips and retrieve this nasty sticky substance and I thought something was wrong with me and all of that was still stuck in my ears! lol one struggled with fluid in my ears and other issues for my entire 32 years of life… at least now I know that I just simply don’t have that gross sticky yellow stuff – it’s not all just stuck in there! Lol
I put peroxide in my ear and the wax fell down on my eardrum. I was in horrible pain and had to go to the ear dr. He said the wax was laying on my eardrum.