6 Things Experts Know About Getting Rid of Earwax

As far as alternative remedies go, ear candling is asking for trouble. (Consider that it's also been thought of as a fix for "strengthening the brain.") The technique involves lighting one end of a hollow candle to create suction to remove wax. "Studies show this does not work at all," [https://www.entnet.org/content/earwax-and-care]says Schwartz, who also headed up a group that published updated earwax removal guidelines warning against candling. Any "wax" that people see drawn out from that method was found to not be earwax, but paraffin from the candle. Womp, womp. Plus, there have been reports of severe facial burns, he says. If a blockage is truly bad and you can't take care of it at home, your doctor may clean out the earwax by water irrigation (read on for more on DIYing that) or by scooping the wax out manually.