ear wax

The package of Q-tips plainly reads, "Do not insert swab into ear canal. Entering the ear canal could cause injury." Yet despite warnings written directly on the package as well as from doctors, a lot of people are still using cotton swabs — yup, I'm talking about you. In the future you may want to be careful or ditch them altogether, since Q-tips can severely damage your ear canal if pushed in too far. What's more? Along with potentially rupturing the membrane, the swab is likely to push wax deeper into the ear canal rather than removing it — even if a little shows up on the cotton.

Need more evidence? Daniel St-Pierre, 43. Coroner Jacques Ramsay found the man died of complications linked to an ear infection probably caused by the use of cotton swabs that pierced the eardrum. Even more? A boy who had been partially deaf for nine years was suddenly cured — when a cotton wool bud from a Q-tip popped out of his ear. Crazy, right? Point is, don't put a Q-tip in your ear, you'll be doing way more harm than good.

If you still feel like you need to clean out those ears, there are some tips for that so read more

You might have seen them at your local health food proclaiming to remove ear wax, improve hearing, relieve sinus pressure, and cure swimmer's ear. You probably wondered, “Do ear candles really work?”

I’m here to tell you from experience, they DO NOT. I tried the ear candle hoping it would help my sinus headaches. Did it work? Nope. Not one bit. When I cut the cone open, I did find some little waxy balls and yellow dust. It wasn't from my ear, but from the ear candle itself.

Ear wax is way too sticky to be dislodged by a little bit of suction. The amount of pressure needed to vacuum wax from your ear would be so intense; it would rupture your eardrum.

Not only do ear candles NOT work, they can actually cause injuries. Hot wax can drip into your ear causing major damage to your eardrums. OUCH. Plus, many people try using ear candles alone and have started fires.

Fit's tip: Don't fall for the at home ear candle. If your ears feel clogged with wax, call your doctor.