What are the Treatments for Ear Wax Buildup?

Ear wax is a necessary product of your body and shouldn't be stripped away completely. However, if you produce large amounts of ear wax that cause hearing problems or pain in the ear, you should definitely remove it. There are several ways to do this yourself without needing to see a doctor, although if your methods aren't working within a week, you should see a physician to remove the buildup instead of taking the chance of damaging your eardrum.

Oils

Adding a few drops of baby oil, mineral oil or tea tree oil to your ear each night will begin to soften and break up the wax buildup so that it can be flushed out easily.

Syringe

One of those common bulb syringes that you find at the pharmacy in the baby aisle will do perfectly to flush the ear with warm water and suction the loosened wax out of the ear canal.

Peroxide

Adding a few drops of peroxide to the ear and allowing it to sit for five minutes should break up the wax so that you can flush it out easily.

Alcohol

Alcohol is good for cleaning and drying the ear so that bacteria doesn't form in and around the protective layer of wax. Applying a few drops after a shower helps keep wax from building up into a hard core that is difficult to remove.

Wax Candles

Ear wax candles are long tubes of wax-coated fibers. When you place the end in your ear and light the candle, it burns, dissolves and sometimes even absorbs the wax.