
Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence yet to support the claims of ear candlers. The ear drums are one of the barriers that seal the ear canal passageway off from the rest of the head’s internal structure. This description of interconnected passageways is simply at odds with our understanding of the structure of the head and ear channels. A study also analyzed the debris found in ear candles after use and discovered that it only contained materials already present in the candle itself.Ĭlaim Number 4: Thermal-auricular therapy serves to clear out the interconnected passageways in your skull and leave you with a clean head. Studies have shown that this debris builds up whether the candle is used on a person or simply set alight on its own. In addition, wax will reharden shortly after the heat source melting it has been removed, so it does not make sense that softened wax would fall out over a period of several days.Ĭlaim Number 3: The debris found when an ear candle is opened is evidence of earwax, impurities and toxins removed during the process. However, studies carried out found that temperatures created by the candle in the ear canal were below body temperature and therefore far too low to melt the wax. In addition to this, a study into the process found that not only did those ear wax removal candles tested failed to create a strong enough suction to realistically remove ear wax, but they actually failed to create any kind of suction at all.Ĭlaim/benefit number 2: An ear wax removal candle works by melting the wax and forcing it to fall out.Ĭommon earwax does not have a particularly high melting point in comparison to something like metal or even plastic, but it does have one in comparison to body temperature. The strength of this suction would easily be felt by the person undergoing the process, which is at odds with the sensations reported by those who have undergone ear coning. Consequently, an extremely strong form of suction would be required to remove it. Earwax is sticky and adheres quite strongly to the inner sides of the ear.

This claim can be disproved with a basic understanding of how ear wax works.

Unfortunately, there is no medical evidence to support the benefits of thermal-auricular therapy alleged by practitioners.Ĭlaim/Benefit number 1: Ear Candles remove ear wax by creating suction. So, are ear wax candles good for you? What medical science has to say This is held forth as evidence of various kinds of impurities and ear wax that has just been drawn from the ear canal.
#Ear wax candles crack
These practitioners will often crack open the ear candle after a session to reveal a potentially disturbing build-up of debris and wax inside. Adherents also advise that the use of an ear wax removal candle must only be carried out by experienced practitioners, whose services can be secured for a nominal fee. The pointed end is placed in the ear while the wider end is set alight. Ear candles are created from a fabric structure that is coated in one of three different kinds of wax. Ear candlers also claim that the ear passageway is connected to all the other passages in your head and, therefore, the practice serves to clean out all these other unspecified passages.Īccording to proponents of the practice, only specially-made cone-shaped candles are suitable for thermal-auricular therapy. Others claim that the heat from the candle melts and softens impacted ear wax, which then ‘falls out’ over the course of the next few days.

Some claim that the heat of the lighted candle creates a kind of suction that pulls wax and other impurities from the ear and into the candle. Proponents of the practice make several different claims about the mechanism by which the practice achieves its aims. Are ear wax candles good for you? How do they work?
