Top Dos and Don’ts of Ear Cleaning

There is no denying that cleaning your ears is a very critical part of self-care. However, it is something that a lot of people do not do correctly. There are many reasons why this is the case. In some incidents, it is because there is a lot of misinformation on the Internet today. In other incidents, it is because of information that has simply been passed down incorrectly over time. 

The dos of ear cleaning:

Let's begin with some of the things you should do when it comes to cleaning your ears:

• You SHOULD visit your audiologist. This is the most important tip of them all. It is a good idea to see your audiologist for regular ear cleaning. This is especially the case if you use a hearing aid and/or you are prone to wax build-up in your ears.
• You SHOULD try baby oil after talking to your audiologist. If you add a drop or two of baby oil to your ear, you can provide a smoother surface for any earwax to come out. This will also help in terms of breaking up the ear wax too. All you need to do is massage the baby oil from the outer of your ear. Make sure you are gentle and only put a drop or two inside.
• You SHOULD let your ears get wet. We don't mean that you need to pour pints of water down your ears. However, a lot of people do not like water getting into their ears. When you are in the shower or bath, though, it is important to do so because it will help the earwax to break up that has formed inside naturally.

The don'ts of cleaning your ears:

Now you know about the different things that you should do when it comes to cleaning your ears, let's take a look at some of the things that you should not do. 

• You SHOULDN'T use cotton swabs. This is one of the biggest myths out there about ear cleaning. A lot of people think that cotton swabs have been designed for ear cleaning. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, if you read the packaging, it will say that it has not been designed to be inserted into your ears. Why? Well, they can cause damage. Firstly, they actually push wax further into your ear canal. Moreover, it only takes a small bit of pressure to knock against a tiny bone in your ear or to puncture your eardrum. 
• You SHOULDN’T perform ear candling. This process involves lighting a special candle and placing it in the opening of the ear. While people believe this “pulls” wax from the ear canal, there is no evidence to back up this claim and you could risk burning yourself.