Removing earwax ⁠- Here are all the most effective home remedies

The human ear is equipped with a self-cleaning system, designed to protect the area in question from dust, dirt, foreign bodies, and infections.

This main agent in the cleaning system is earwax, a viscous substance that, however, can sometimes accumulate excessively in the ear canal, which in turn becomes troublesome and can cause many problems.

The presence of too much earwax in the ear canal is revealed through symptoms such as pain, buzzing or muffled sounds.

Fortunately, however, there are several very useful home remedies to eliminate these symptoms.

Here are some that are simple, practical, and very effective.

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• Hydrogen peroxide. Mix together, in equal parts, hot water, and hydrogen peroxide, putting everything in a bottle with an eyedropper. Next, tilt your head to the side and put some drops into the affected ear. Leave the solution to penetrate the earwax for about five minutes and then repeat on each side. 

• Olive oil. This time the mixture consists of extra virgin olive oil and hot water. To make this ear drop solution, just follow the same procedure used with hydrogen peroxide. This cleaning procedure can be repeated if necessary, for two or three consecutive days.

• Ear massage. Using the lobe as a gripping point, the lobe skin must be stretched by pulling it up and down several times. This movement allows the earwax to detach from the walls of the ear canal and be more easily expelled. 

• Irrigations. It is necessary to fill an ear syringe bulb with warm water and slowly inject small amounts of the liquid into the ear. At the end of the operation, it is recommended to dry your ears carefully and well.

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• Chamomile tea. The first application should be made with drops of warm olive oil, then the chamomile tea should be used for rinsing. The procedure eliminates the earwax and soothes any inflammation.

• Hot water bottle. The contents of the hot water bottle should not be poured into the ear but simply used as a heating instrument to soften the earwax from the outside. Thanks to this remedy, the earwax will become softer, more fluid, and easier to remove.

In general, it should be remembered that earwax is physiologically necessary for good ear health, so you should not exaggerate in cleaning your ears because by doing so, instead of preventing damage, this can instead cause infections.

Furthermore, never use cotton swabs or pointed tools, because, in addition to pushing the earwax more deeply down into the ear canal, you risk piercing the eardrum.

In the event that the symptoms persist, as always, it recommended that you contact your doctor. Or, in particular, you could make an appointment for a check-up with an otorhinolaryngology (ENT) specialist.