Olive Oil Ear Drops

The best way to clean your ears is with a damp washcloth - but you can also apply a few drops of olive oil or sodium bicarbonate drops into your ear to soften the wax and allow it to fall out on its own.

 

Cotton swabs are fine to clean your outer ear, but you shouldn’t use them to clean the inside of your ear as they can cause injury and force the wax further down the ear canal.

Cotton swabs are fine to clean the outer ear, but they should never be used to clean the inside of your ear, no matter how tempting it may seem.

 

A cotton swab behaves like a plunger, pushing the ear wax further down the ear canal.

 

Not only does this have to be removed by a professional because of the depth of the ear wax, but it can also lead to complications like a punctured eardrum and hearing loss.

Caring for your ears, with precautions like regular cleaning and earplug use, is important to ensure they’re always working as they should.

 

You can clean your ears by wiping the outer ear with a damp cloth and placing drops into the ear to loosen the wax - don’t use cotton swabs, as they can push the wax further down your ear and cause damage.

 

If you ever think there’s a problem with your ears, don’t ignore it - make sure you make an appointment with your GP if you need to.

Using olive oil to irrigate your ears is a relatively safe, drug-free practice. It can, however, cause side effects like itching, irritation, dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), an unpleasant taste in the mouth, temporary loss of hearing or general discomfort. Rest assured, these side effects won’t effect everyone.

Olive oil helps to soften hardened ear wax in your ear canals. This helps it to move naturally out of the ear, or it can also be used to prepare the earwax to be syringed out of the ear by a doctor or nurse.

If your ears are feeling clogged up, there are a number of reasons that might be causing it, including: 

• Impacted earwax

• Sinus pressure

• Fluid in the ear

• Noise damage

Other less common causes include anxiety, outer ear infection (swimmer’s ear), balance disorders or concussion.