At its worst, it can cause serious harm to your ear. When studied, it was revealed that the contents were a blend of burned candle wax and fabric.Īt its best, ear candling is a lousy way to remove wax. The debris inside burned candles is supposed to be the impurities removed from your ear, but it shows up in the candles even if they haven’t been near an ear canal. The temperatures produced by the candle were below body temperature, far too low to melt the wax.

But one study found there was no suction force whatsoever during a candling procedure. You would need strong suction to pull it out. Earwax, especially if it’s hard and firmly pressed together, is sticky. There are solid barriers there, like the eardrum, that stop this from happening. It sounds like a peaceful way to get healthy, but the idea of a maze of connected pathways in your head is a myth. Clearing the ear canal, they say, will clean out the rest of the pathways and leave you with a clean head. When you’re done, split the candle open and check out all the nasty stuff inside - wax, bacteria, and debris from inside your ear.Įar candlers believe that passages in your head are all connected. Others believe heat from the candle melts and softens the wax, which falls out over the next few days. Repeated with the other ear.įans say that as the candle burns, it creates a low-level suction force that pulls wax and debris out of your ear. Get someone you trust to light the opposite end. This makes sure candle wax and ash don’t fall on your face. Cut a hole in a paper plate and stick the candle into it. They’re around 10 inches long and can cost a few dollars apiece. What’s the Claim?īuy the candles, which are hollow fabric cones soaked in wax or paraffin. No study has ever confirmed any of the claims made about the wonders it’s supposed to work.

There’s no scientific basis for ear candling.

Ear wax removal candle