Ear Candles: Are They Right for You?
When you have a lot of wax buildup in your ear, you want to do something about it. The first thing you should do is contact your doctor, or an ENT — an ear, nose, and throat specialist — to rule out any illness or foreign objects in your ear.
Earwax is not only normal, it's welcome. It's how your ears naturally clean themselves and protect the eardrum against harmful bacteria, infection, or foreign objects. Over-cleaning the earwax can do more harm than good, and can lead to irritation of the ear canal or damage to the eardrum.
However, sometimes an excessive buildup of earwax can happen, and it can cause problems within the ear. This is where ear candles come into play: you can use ear candles to draw the wax out of your ears and give your ear canals a fresh, clean start. After getting an all-clear from your doctor for ear health, consider the following to see if ear candles are right for you.
You have discolored wax that you can see
Earwax can build up to where it gets outside the ear canal and can get on the earlobe. This is not harmful, but can be embarrassing and unsightly. Regular underwater washing of your ears can help flush out this excess wax — sometimes you're just genetically prone for it — and using ear candles can also help you keep your earwax problem in check.
You have issues with hearing but nothing medically wrong
If you have an earwax layer covering your ear canal, it can cause your hearing to come out muffled or cause you to have hearing loss in general. You can use ear candles to gently draw out clumps of earwax that are clogging your ear canal so you can enjoy better hearing with great clarity.
You have genetically waxy ears
As mentioned above, you can be genetically predisposed to just have waxy ear canals. If this is the case, extra cleaning and maintenance may be necessary to help your ears look and feel their best. Ear candles can be used periodically to keep your ears free of excessive wax and can be a safer alternative to using cotton swabs or other means of cleaning.
Do your research before you buy an ear candling kit so you buy the right kit for your needs. A kit should come with all the supplies you need and instructions for use.