Remove Ear Wax
Updated: 05/14/2008
Natural Remedies to Remove Ear Wax
"Earwax, also known by the medical term cerumen, is a yellowish, waxy substance secreted in the ear canal of humans and many other mammals. It plays an important role in the human ear canal, assisting in cleaning and lubrication, and also provides some protection from bacteria, fungi, and insects. Excess or impacted cerumen can press against the eardrum and/or occlude the external auditory canal and impair hearing.
Cerumen is produced in the outer third of the cartilaginous portion of the human ear canal. It is a mixture of viscous secretions from sebaceous glands and less-viscous ones from modified apocrine sweat glands. The primary components of earwax are the final products in the HMG-CoA reductase pathway, namely, squalene, lanosterol, and cholesterol." (Wikipedia)
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
We heard about this treatment from an ENT (Ear Nose Throat) MD and have practiced it for years. We love it! We have passed the practice on to friends who have in turn passed it on their friends. However, before you try it, check with your doctor first! Some people experience severe ear or jaw pain after trying this remedy (see below).
NOTE: For safety, don't do this treatment before flying. Make sure there are a few days between the treatment and getting on a plane. Also, do not try this remedy if you have existing ear or jaw pain -- it may make the condition worse! If you have any doubts about trying this remedy, don't try it... Contact your doctor first and get his/her opinion. One more note -- do not do this remedy more than once in each ear. Wait a few days in between before trying it again if you feel it did not dissolve all the wax.
The recipe:
Lay a towel down on your bed or carpet. Then fill a dropper (buy at the pharmacy in the infant section) with drugstore bought 3% hydrogen peroxide (about .79 a bottle at any pharmacy). Lying on your side, fill one ear with hydrogen peroxide. After a few moments you will hear fizzing. Quite normal. After a minute or two, add more peroxide. Wait, relax, enjoy. After another few minutes, add more. The peroxide fizzes away, which is why you must keep adding more. Wait until the fizzing stops -- 10 to 15 minutes -- indicative that the wax has been dissolved. Shake remaining liquid from your ear onto the towel and repeat on the other ear. Since this takes time, you may want to do one ear one day and the other the following day.
If you feel a "slushing" in your ear following this treatment, you probably did not give the peroxide enough time. This will feel quite uncomfortable but don't be alarmed! The peroxide probably dislodged the wax but did not dissolve it. Try again. Trick is to keep the ear filled with liquid. You'll be amazed at how much it fizzes up. We did this on a friend a few years back and a huge piece of ear wax floated up and out of his ear. This same person had to go to an ENT every year or two to have chunks of ear wax removed so you can imagine how grateful he was to have a do-it-at-home treatment that actually worked!
If you use ear plugs, you can also clean them using hydrogen peroxide. Simply put peroxide in a cup and toss in the plugs... they will be back to perfect condition within 20 minutes or so.
Don't believe H202 actually helps to dissolve ear wax?'Try this experiment:
Clean your ears with a q-tip. Add a few tablespoons of drugstore H202 to a glass and drop the waxy q-tip inside the glass. Within 10 minutes the q-tip will be white again, absolutely no wax left.
No question about it, H202 dissolves ear wax. Visible proof.
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HYDROGEN PEROXIDE READER FEEDBACK
25 YEA 4 WARNING!
[YEA] 05/14/2008: BDR from N.O., LA writes: "I swam laps for the first time in a while. I knew ear wax buildup was trapping the water because every year or 2 have to go to the ENT to have my ear irrigated and cleaned. Couldn't hear, miserable. Tried the hydrogen peroxide to save the hassle and expense of ENT visit. Worked! 15 minutes adding a few drops every 3-4 minutes, then irrigated with warm water. Hard to believe all that was in my ear. Thanks! "Reply to this Feedback E-mail this Feedback Print this Feedback Back to Top
[YEA] 01/26/2008: John (majorhart@sbcglobal.net) from Kansas City, KS writes: "Hello. I and wife have used hydrogen peroxide for years and it always works for us.
We either use it full strength or mixed with mineral oil. Sometimes we warm it first.
After we drain it out we spray water gentle from a syringe or spray bottle. Usually the wax is dissolved without using a syringe or spray bottle, but we use them to removed the rest of the hydrogen peroxide which can irritate the ear canals.
We haven't ever bothered about the ear canal being wet afterward and have had no trouble. Sometimes a few days later an ear canal may get itchy and we've found that the equate brand (walmart) of preparation H stopped the itching better than campho phenique or anything and soothed the ear canal."
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[YEA] 01/12/2008: June from KC, KS writes: "I also use store-bought H2O2 for use in my ears. I did have trouble with it leaving behind liquid and causing earache. And a couple times after using H2O2 I had sharp pains in my ears. I remedied this by putting a small amount of coconut oil in each ear after draining the H2O2 and it helped pretty quickly.
Now if I use H2O2 in my ears I add a drop of alcohol and only use a drop or two of H2O2 (full strength). This seems to be enough to ward off any virus-related earaches.
I also use H2O2 mixed with distilled water as a nasal wash and this is very effective in immediately ridding me of sore throat issues and any kind of infection I might feel at the back of my palate and upper portion of my throat where sinus drainage occurs. It burns a little, even with using distilled water, but I've come to recognize it as a good burn because I know it's killing the infection."
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[YEA] 12/07/2007: Xhellie (shellzbellz61878@Aol.com) from Coyle, Washington writes: "My son's ear canal was completely obstructed with ear wax. I know you're not supposed to use cotton swabs or bobby pins. I was so desperate to remove this blockage that I almost used a bobby pin. I was very skeptical to try this remedy because when I was younger I did this procedure to myself and left it too long. The ending result was the worst ear infection I have ever had.
This is the procedure I followed: I made my child lie on his side with the affected ear facing up. I pulled his ear lobe and used a head lamp so I could look deep into the ear. While still pulling the ear lobe back and up I dropped in the peroxide untill the ear was full. It bubbled immediately! I waited till the bubbling stopped, about 4 minutes and had him flip his head over and drain the peroxide. The peroxide that drained out was brown and murky so I knew it was working. We repeated this process several times, rinsing the ear with warm water between every peroxide "bath". After about 4 sessions I used the syringe to irrigate the ear and a huge ball of wax came ou of his ear. Upon inspection the ear canal was unblocked. Please remeber though, a layer of wax in your ear is a GOOD THING! Thanks again to Earth Clinic and everyone who contributed!!"
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[YEA] 11/20/2006: Steve from Venice Fl writes: "Wow!! The hydrogen peroxide worked great for me. I could barely hear out of my left ear for nearly a week, so I used peroxide, for me it took nearly one hour to clear out the canal. I VERY highly recommed using peroxide to get a wax build up out of your ear. When in use in your ear, the peroxide bubbles and sizzles in your ear and the noise gets louder and louder as it clears out that disgusting old wax out of your ear. It was really fascinating though. Interesting experience."
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[YEA] 11/09/2006: Cass from Dover, DE writes: "Our pedicatrician was a really old fashioned doctor. He looked for ways to save his patients money and would recommend old timey remedies if he knew that they worked.
Our pedicatrician found that my son had excessive ear wax. He said he could clean the wax out but it would cost us money and be painful to my son. What our pediatrician recommended was to put olive oil in the ears at night and put a cotton ball in each ear. In the morning after breakfast my son was to lie down and I was to fill one ear at a time with peroxide and he was just to lie there for 15-20 minutes. When the time was up he was to flip his head over real quick to the other side. We did this for close to a week and saw good results. We appreciated the money and the pain that was saved by using a remedy that our pediatrician reccommended. Never again did our pediatrician say that my son had excessive ear wax. My son is now a grown man."
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[WARNING!] 11/08/2006: Usha from India writes: "I have a similar situation to Deb from Philadelphia. I would not suggest putting ANYTHING in an ear with a perforated eardrum or no eardrum at all. You must be careful to protect your middle and inner ear from being damaged. They have a very specific Ph and a system of dealing with invaders. The reason your eardrums burst is because your eustachian tubes are probably closed, not just blocked. Ear infections are one of the most common childhood diagnosis because children's eustachian tubes are not fully developed. Many adults have malformed or closed eustachian tubes becuase their's never developed from childhood or because of allergies. First of all you need to address your allergies because nothing will work that you try unless that is also under control. Some ENTs also conduct allergy tests becuase the whole system is so closely connected as is balance ie. verigo. There is a new surgery which I just had to open a closed eustachian tube. It is called eustachian tubectomy. They endoscopically go in through your mouth and shave the sides of your eustachian tube utilizing the scar tissue that will develop to cause the eustachian tube to function properly. I had this procedure as well as a tympanoplasty which is a rebuilidng of ear drum. The first attempt at closing the ear drum was unsuccessful but the second time they used another new procedure that uses the cartilage from the little flap of skin outside of the opening to the ear to close the ear drum and this cartilage creates a very strong structure. Now I no longer sound like a broken speaker in my head! I would highly suggest you get your allergies under control and really try to surgically fix your eardrums ESPECIALLY before you start considering putting things in your ears. Your hearing will be negatively affected to say the least as well as your inner ear which could cause worse vertigo and balance problems. If you aren't already you should be wearing earplugs, never go swimming or bathe unprotected (this could be causing infections, having water in your middle ear). Ear plugs should not "go down too far" as you say becuase your ear canal is much longer than you think. Any ear plug I've ever used won't go deep enough to be a problem. You can have custom ear plugs made to fit your ear which are the most comfortable option in my opinion. Don't mess around with ears, they're too delicate."
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[WARNING!] 10/09/2006: Natasha from UK writes: "Anyone with major ear problems, please do not use hydrogen peroxide, particularly Deb with the broken ear drum! It is basically bleach and is a really fierce chemical. It only works to clear earwax and you must be sure this is where your problem is coming from if you want to use it. In the UK, hydrogen peroxide is NOT recommended by doctors even for this - they actually recommend pharmaceutical olive oil, which is sterilised, mixes with the wax and helps it soften and clear naturally.
Ears are delicate and can easily be sent out of balance. I used to use q-tips to clean my ears and now suffer from chronic otitis externa, which is basically eczma in the outer ear. I haven't noticed earwax for years, just a dampness and whitish discharge. This, with the "debris" which collects in the ear (dead skin), provides a perfect environment for bacteria to breed in.
The first time I ever had an infection was when I had had a cold, used q-tips and took a long-haul flight with two changeovers. I had the WORST ear infection when I landed the third time and spent the next week in bed on antibiotics and painkillers in the most horrendous pain. That was five and a half years ago and I now have to use ear plugs in any situation where my ears can get wet (swimming, showering) or I will get an infection within 24 hours. I also have to be very careful to avoid introducing germs to the ear with a hand or headphones etc - in-ear headphones are not an option! This is actually a pretty common condition, is most often caused by using q-tips and is not curable. I'm 24.
Saying this, I have heard that garlic can be a very good antibiotic and also Hopi ear candles are great for clearing blocked sinuses. I am very cautious in using anything non-prescribed myself these days as my condition is so sensitive that I'm afraid anything will set it off, but these are gentle enough not to be so bad. Regarding hydrogen peroxide, if you are more resiliant, maybe have a go, but with more serious conditions, don't risk it! And don't ever use it for an extended time. These are all things your doctors should be telling you - there are a lot of advantages to free medicine..."
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[YEA] 07/10/2006: Rita from Hunstville, AL writes: "Hi, I just wanted to comment that I personally use hydrogen peroxide each and every day to help clean my ears with a Q-tip. This actually helps to combat itchy ears and less wax buildup."
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[YEA] 04/28/2006: Floyd from Fort Worth TX writes: "About 43 years ago, we went to Plat National Park in Sulphur, Oklahoma. The water there is very cold and has a lot of sulphur in it. It gave all 3 of our children, and myself an ear infection. Mine was so bad, I had to go to the Dr. He told me to mix Hydrogen Peroxide and Alcohol 50/50 .He said the Peroxide would kill the infection and the alcohol would dry up the Peroxide. If you don't get the Peroxide out, your ear will hurt more. Since then we have never went to the Dr. for an ear problem. THANK GOD."
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[YEA] 03/17/2006: Joanne from Cleveland, OH writes: "First of all I LOVE LOVE LOVE your website...it is so helpful...I love to look up and find all these rememdies...KEEP EM COMING! My father when i was little put hydrogen peroxide in my Ear....at first i was a little.. scared.. but then when he put it in all i felt was a little fizzing and bubbling..and right away my earache went away and the pressure. I AM SO GLAD! that i now know how to clear my earaches and ear infection and tell everyone i know!"
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[YEA] 03/15/2006: JC from Toronto, Ontario writes: "I had a plugged ear for a few days with excess earwax. Faced with the option of having an ENT use a mini-vacuum if lavage didn't work I decided to try this out. I softened the earwax first by applying warm olive oil to a cotton swab then placing it in my ear for 10 minutes. Then I droppered the H2O2 in. It did generate some heat causing a mild burning sensation when the oxygen bubbles were releasing but it was only mildly uncomfortable. I did the wash for ~20min and followed with the rubbing alcohol which did cause some stinging. However, I can hear again without having to wait for a referral to and ENT so I'm very happy. Thanks for the advice."
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[YEA] 03/13/2006: Somran from Las Vegas, NV writes: "Peroxide Cured My Ears Infection And My Sore Throat."
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[WARNING!] 03/03/2006: Chandra from Virginia writes: "I tried hydrogen peroxide in my left ear two nights in a row. After the first night, the problem seemed to be showing signs of clearing up, so I decided to follow up. Now I have a horrible ache in my left ear. The two small itchy bumps in my ear are almost gone, but now the inside of my ear is hurting very badly. I don't think I will try this again."
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[YEA] 03/01/2006: John from Bangor, ME writes: "I worked in cabinet shops from 1983 to 1998, and I used to get ear infections from sawdust. After I went to a doctor that used a water pick on my ear I heard about using Hydrogen peroxide. As soon as I felt an infection coming on, I would flush my ear with it. The pain would normally go away with in 24 hours."
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[YEA] 02/04/2006: Robin from Haines,Alaska writes: "I've used hydrogen peroxide for years to "bubble" my 5 sons' ears. One of my sons had deeply impacted wax so bad that an ear Dr. wanted to operate on him to remove it. I asked him if there was another alternative and he said we could try cleaning his ears with one of those over the counter kits.We opted for daily syringing of the ear with 3% hydrogen peroxide,and rinsing with a diluted apple cider vinegar solution afterwards to replace natural ph to the ear, after several days black rocks 1/8"in size began to come out of his ear! We worked on his ear daily for about 3 weeks. Upon returning to the Ear Dr. he gave him a clean bill of health. He was 3yrs. old then and is 20yrs. old now and has had no ear problems since!"
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[YEA] 11/18/2005: Sarah from Annapolis, MD writes: "this peroxide treatment is wonderful..I have used it many times. I have been to the doctor for years due to my ear problems and nothing has ever helped long term except peroxide. It's great!!"
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[YEA] 10/08/2005: Kevin from Jacksonville, FL writes: "I have used hydrogen peroxide successfully in the past to eliminate ear wax. Only recently did I begin to use it as a mouth wash. The cavity I had almost immediately ceased to hurt after I began using the hydrogen peroxide. Another form of oxygen therapy is biomagnets. Albert Roy Davis discovered that the North pole of a magnet has the opposite effect of the South pole. North pole energy increases the amount of oxygen in the body too."
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[YEA] 08/30/2005: CS from Toronto, Ontario CANADA writes: "This works FANTASTIC!! I couldn't hear for a week out of one ear and the day I tried this home remedy I could hear again! I was reading that you should follow up this remedy by flushing out your ear with rubbing alcohol to dry out the wetness that the hydrogen peroxide may leave behind. Warm wet places are a haven for bacteria growth so the alcohol treatment is essential."
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[YEA] 08/16/2005: Ashley from Thousand Oaks, Ca writes: "I work with special needs teens, one of the clients kept playing with his ears. I took him to the doctor and his doctor told me about this technique. It worked wonderfully and my client actually ENJOYED it. He was giggling so much that another child wanted to do it too! (he also had build-up). He asks for "Tickles in my ear"."
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[YEA] 08/16/2005: Ashley from Thousand Oaks, Ca writes: "I work with special needs teens, one of the clients kept playing with his ears. I took him to the doctor and his doctor told me about this technique. It worked wonderfully and my client actually ENJOYED it. He was giggling so much that another child wanted to do it too! (he also had build-up). He asks for "Tickles in my ear"."
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[YEA] 07/12/2005: Amanda from Austin, TX writes: "At 21 years old, i can never remember a time that my ears bothered me. Not even the 6 years i was on swim team. However, recently I developed a dull ache in one ear that progressed to a full blow keep you up at night pain. I have tried everything and as a last ditch effort before resorting to the doctor, i attempted your suggestion. I left the peroxide in for a full 20 minutes and followed with rubbing alcohol to dry the ear out afterwards. it provided temporary relief but the pain returned. It is 4 am and I will try to get some sleep. I will keep you informed on how it feels in the morning. Thanks!"
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[YEA] 07/11/2005: Donna from PA writes: "i had a bad ear wax build up for a whole week. couldn't hear a thing. my mom said get peroxide. so i tried it. it snapped cracked bubbled and after laying on my side, my hubby got the ear syringe and flushed it. out it popped a huge ball of wax. i trust my mom for everything. glad i do!"
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[WARNING!] Samantha from UK writes: "I used hydrogen peroxide tonight for ear wax. I was woken 3 hours later with severe pain. I have called A&E and i must go to them as now i have a thermos burn in my ear. It's 3am in the morning i have 4 young children asleep in bed and i am waiting for my sister who lives 40mins away to get here to sit with them....so much for hydrogen peroxide."
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[YEA] Jade from Peoria, IL writes: "Our family has used this since I was a small child. I have never had any ear problems what so ever and continue to use this procedure today."
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[YEA] Linda from Asheboro, NC writes: "I had used hydrogen peroxide in my ears years ago, but I was not happy with the results. Last night, I read the information on this site, and I decided to give it another try. I realized that I had not been patient enough. I put the solution in both ears, and I spent up to 45 minutes on the process. I am happy to report that it was sucessful this time. Wax buildup in my right ear was affecting my hearing, and an enormous amount of wax came to the surface today that I was able to remove easily. I took my organic apple cider vinegar with me to work today and sipped on the ACV mixed with water and ice all afternoon. I will report the results after using it for a while. Thanks for the valuable information!"
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[YEA] Joella from TN writes: "I have used hydrogen peroxide many times in the past 6 years to dissolve ear wax and had fabulous results! Last week, however, after doing my usual treatment of 10 minutes per ear, I awoke the next morning with pain in my left ear at the jaw bone. It was extremely sensitive to the touch! I thought I had an ear infection and called my doctor for a prescription. Took the ear drops and antibiotics and the ear pain did not go away. A few days later I actually went to my doctor's office for a visit and he saw no sign of infection! What he suspected was jaw pain from TMJ that was somehow triggered by the hydrogen peroxide treatment. I slept without a pillow for the next few nights and my jaw pain immediately went away. Thought your readers might like to know. Thanks."
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[YEA] Debbie from Tulsa, OK writes: "I love what hydrogen peroxide does for me! I have a hard time with ear pain, I don't have that much ear wax but I do have ear pain, so I take a small dropper, (barbie doll baster, the kind that diabetics use for glucose checks) and fill it up and use it in my ears, it feels good and it's relaxing and gets rid of the pain. I also sometimes notice that I do have ear wax on the cotton ball. I have used this for about 5 years now, never had a bad experience."
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[YEA] Shaniece from Charlotte, NC writes: "I used the peroxide for ear wax. Which was causing me to have extremely intense headaches, I imagine the wax wasn't allowing the pressure any room to flow out. So I read here on the site to try to remove the wax by using the peroxide. My mother have taught us to use peroxide for cleaning the ears, for as long as I can remember. So when I read here that you need to allow the peroxide to not only dislodge the wax it needs enough time to dissolve as well. That was the key to my pain, i wasn't allowing it enough time. So I then went home and layed on my side for about 40 minutes continuing to add the liquid as it dissolved. This did the trick! I feel the lady who did not agree probably did not allow enough time. Because it will dislodge and leave the ear feeling really uncomfortable if it's not completely finished dissolving."
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MINERAL OIL
1 YEA
[YEA] 02/25/2007: Neil (neilcdickie@mail.com) from Fairfield, Iowa writes: "I checked with a good friend who has been an MD in family practice for 35 years, and he recommends Mineral oil combined with irrigation with warm water as the best and safest method of removing hardened ear wax. He does NOT recommend Hydrogen Peroxide--he says it is too strong a substance to put in contact with the highly delicate ear drum. Here is his method: Obtain mineral oil at any drugstore (it is better than other oils because it is quite thin), warm about 2 - 3 tablespoons in a container placed in very warm (but not boiling water) until it is a little above body temp. Lie on your side, with the ear to be de-waxed UP. Fill an eye dropper with the warm oil and fill your ear with it. Lie still for approx. 5 minutes. Get up and empty oil into sink. Do this procedure the following day or two. This will soften the wax and may even dissolve it completely. Now, warm some water, again to just above body temp, or as warm as you can stand, fill a bulb syringe (also readily available at drugstore), and flush out your ear with the warm water. It may take several syringes of water, but his will bring out the wax."Reply to this Feedback E-mail this Feedback Print this Feedback Back to Top
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