While it's standard to have wax in your ears--it protects your body from foreign intruders like bacteria and dirt--too much can lead to a blockage, causing pain, dizziness and infection. It's important to unblock your ears as soon as you notice a plug, but you must go about it carefully so as to not damage your ear and to eliminate the excess wax as safely as possible.
Step 1
Place a few drops of baby oil or glycerin into your ear with a dropper. Allow it to sit for several minutes. This will soften the wax and make it easier to remove using irrigation and bulb syringe techniques.
Step 2
Irrigate the ear canal with water. Take a syringe and fill it with water that's adjusted to your body temperature. Then, inject it into your ear. Don't be too forceful, as this could damage your eardrum. Likewise, don't use cold or hot water, as this can make you dizzy. Tilt your head over a sink to allow the water to drain from your ear. Repeat the irrigation several times a day until most of the wax has been removed.
Step 3
Fill a syringe with saline and inject it into your ear. Work over a sink to avoid a mess. Once injected, use a bulb syringe to extract the remaining saline from your ear by means of suction. Wax should come out as a part of the solution. This may need to be repeated several times to achieve optimum results.
Step 4
Have your ears unblocked by a doctor. If the wax is very hard and won't come out using irrigation and suction methods, you may need the assistance of a doctor. A medical professional may also irrigate the ear using water, though they tend to employ slightly more invasive procedures as well involving scraping the wax from the ear using a curette and a microscope.
Things You'll Need
- Dropper
- Baby oil or glycerin
- Syringe
- Warm water
- Saline solution
- Bulb syringe
