Is Ear Candling Safe?

This Ear Wax Removal Candle Review provides comprehensive information regarding ear candling, important ear candle safety features and level of effectiveness, as well as the benefits of ear candling and contraindications to treatment.

Ear candling is a practice you have no doubt heard of and one you’ve considered trying. Ear candling has been used for millennia and the history of ear candling dates back to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and other world cultures. Ear candling is an alternative medicine practice claimed to improve general health and well-being by lighting one end of a hollow candle and placing the other end in the ear canal. Proponents of ear candling claim that the warmth created by the flame creates a vacuum that pulls earwax, dirt particles, and bacteria out of the ear canal and into the hollow candle. Ear candling is said to remove earwax, sharpen hearing, help overcome an ear infection, relieve stress, and reduce sinusitis and other ear problems.

However, before you try it out, there is a lot you need to be aware of when it comes to ear candling.

Ease of Use

Take a candle and insert the narrow end of the candle into the ear, and light the other end. Let the heat travel down the hollow part of the candle to melt the ear wax. The candle is allowed to burn for about 10 to 15 minutes. The candle should burn out not below the line marking and should be extinguished in a glass of water. The flame supposedly creates negative pressure that sucks ear wax and debris out of the ear canal and into the tube, which appears as a dark residue. After the procedure, ears should be cleaned. An ear candling session lasts up to one hour, during which one or two ear candles may be burned for each ear.

According to this, the whole procedure is quite complicated, and you should be very cautious as you are dealing with fire and you should avoid hot wax from the candle falling down on your skin or in the ear.


There are a considerable number of websites and retailers that promote the use of ear candles. They are inexpensive and you can find hundreds of places to buy them – both off and online. They retail for between $2 and $10, or above $12 for larger packs of around 10 to 20 candles.

On the other hand, if you choose to seek professional help, most practitioners stand ready to perform the ritual for $25-$60 a session.


Ear candling can be quite unsafe. Many experts in the medical field say the process only invites potential problems such as burns to the ear canal, ear canal occlusions and ear drum perforations and secondary ear canal infections that may cause temporary or permanent hearing loss.

Inept practitioners may also burn the outside of your ear or your hair, which emphasizes the importance of selecting a spa or center with a solid reputation if you plan to try ear candling. Cautious specialists will cover your head and neck with a towel for more protection. In most cases, the candle is stuck through a circular guard such as a paper plate or aluminum foil to protect against any hot wax or ash falling onto the subject.

You can perform the procedure yourself, but this is particularly dangerous and not recommended. You should never do this alone! Have someone assist you. If you feel any pain or dizziness you are advised to stop the procedure and immediately consult with a doctor.


Medical research points out that the residue present in the ear candles after burning is not ear wax, as originally believed. Instead, it’s just the product of combustion of the candle. The “impurities” that appear in the collected wax from inside the candle when it is not placed inside the ear.

Moreover, skeptics indicate that there is no mechanism by which the candle could possibly draw out anything from the ear and that a sufficient vacuum to do so could not be generated. Since wax is sticky, the negative pressure needed to pull wax from the canal would have to be so strong that it would rupture the eardrum in the process. However, researchers who measured the pressure during candling of ear models found that no vacuum was created. The heat may help to melt the wax, but there is no vacuum created that will suck the ear wax out.

The Bottom Line On Ear Candling

Ear candling has turned out to be very popular and is heavily advertised. But just because a practice has been around for thousands of years doesn’t imply that it is a good thing to do. It’s claimed mechanism of action has not been verified, no scientific evidence showing effectiveness supports it, and it is associated with considerable risk. However, believers claim that people who say these don’t work probably had the candle positioned incorrectly in the ear or did not let them burn long enough.

So, before you come to the conclusion that ear candling is just a health scam and doesn’t provide any therapeutic value, consider this: Burning a candle with the one end inside someone’s ear as described above blows warm smoke into the ear which is surely very relaxing and calming for many. This warm smoke also has the effect of drying out the ear, so it could potentially be beneficial to those suffering from an ear infection.

If you decide to go for it, you should be very cautious and take into consideration all aspects mentioned in this Ear Wax Removal Candle Review. Being aware of the risks and concerns about ear candling can help you make an informed decision if it is the best way for you to remove your ear wax. Should you choose this method for ear wax removal, be sure to go to a respected, professional facility with experienced practitioners.

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