Cotton buds, olive oil, and the things that make it worse

Ears clean themselves. Wax works its way out on its own, carrying the dust and dead skin with it, and for most people that quietly happens forever and nobody thinks about it.

It goes wrong when something pushes it back the other way.

Cotton buds

A cotton bud is almost exactly the diameter of an ear canal. It takes a little wax out at the edges and presses the rest of it inwards, where the canal is narrower and there is nothing to move it back. Most genuinely stubborn blockages have had a cotton bud involved at some point.

The same goes for hairgrips, rolled tissue, and the corner of a towel.

Ear candles

No. There is no suction, nothing is drawn out, and the residue afterwards is the candle. The risk of a burn near an ear canal is not a theoretical one.

Olive oil

This one does help. A few drops of plain olive oil, warmed to room temperature, softens hardened wax so it can either come out on its own or be removed easily. It is usually worth doing for a few days beforehand.

How many drops, how many days, and whether it is right for that ear at all depends on the ear — particularly if there has ever been a perforation or grommets. Ask me when you book and I will tell you exactly what to do.

Hearing aids

Aids sit in the canal and hold wax where it is. If someone has worn aids for years and they have started whistling, squealing, or simply helping less, wax is the first thing to rule out — long before anyone concludes the aids need replacing.

The short version

Soften it, do not push it. And if it has been weeks rather than days, get somebody to look — me, or anyone else who knows what they are doing.