There's nothing more frustrating than when your ears are full of wax. Not only can it affect your hearing, but it can also affect other things such as your sense of balance, which may leave you feeling annoyed, congested and even disorientated. Thankfully, the best way to clean your ears can be through an earwax removal kit, designed to gently rid you of wax that may be causing problems to your ear canal.
So, we've put together this handy guide and listed the best earwax removal kits. That way, you can safely remove bothersome wax from the comfort of your own home. If you've had symptoms of blocked ears, here are the best home earwax removal kits to help you regain a sense of balance once again.
What are some symptoms of impacted earwax?
As we age, impacted earwax becomes more common as the wax hardens. Normally, you shouldn't have to remove wax as the ears are self-cleaning. However, if there's an excess build-up of earwax or it's causing irritation or hearing loss, then it may have to be removed. As a result, impacted earwax can cause a range of symptoms, including:
• Hearing loss
• Dizziness
• Tinnitus
• Earache
• Itching
Are earwax removal kits safe?
Although there are such a variety of methods to remove earwax, it may be surprising that there are certain methods that doctors and medical professionals do not recommend. Particularly the use of cotton earbuds, ear candles or ear wax vacuums as these can cause permanent damage to your ear canal or eardrum.
Therefore, if you are considering removing earwax at home, avoid inserting any objects into your ear canal. In addition, removing your earwax is only advised if your symptoms aren’t urgent and you haven’t noticed any other issues such as pain or a change in your hearing.
Take a look at our FAQ section to read some advice before using an earwax removal kit. Always seek medical advice before attempting to remove earwax from home. Without the proper advice and equipment, you may cause even more damage to the ears.
The best earwax removal kits
Best earwax removal drops
These Otex Express Ear Drops work to soften hardened wax, allowing the wax to break down in the ear canal and stopping blockages from forming. Its bottle comes with an easy applicator that can be applied directly to the ear, without the need for using syringes or other medical equipment inside the ear.
Pros: Highly rated and clinically proven
Cons: May not work for all
Review: "Used this before. Had another problem recently, so knew what to get. Solved blocked ears in two/three days. Fuzzy noise in your ears, while it works. This was originally recommended to me by a pharmacist."
Best earwax removal kit with accessories
This Ear Wax Removal Tool by Tilcare comes with a full kit to help remove blocked wax. This method should be used if you're certain you're not suffering from an ear infection, as flushing water into the ear canal may make it worse. Otherwise, this irrigation kit may help free up blocked wax. It includes syringes, solution, ear bulb, basin and towel.
Pros: Promising reviews
Cons: Using curette tools is not recommended as it may cause more damage
Review: "Had to leave a review! I tried olive oil for a week, then bought the branded ear drops.. but still my ear was really blocked. Having visited the doctors, worried at this point I might have an ear infection, he confirmed it was just wax so to either buy a kit or pay for it to be removed professionally. I thought I’d try a kit initially to see if it would clear it. It took about two bottles of warm water for the main part of wax to dislodge but I can’t believe it worked! My hearing is back and tinnitus has gone."
Best earwax removal kit
Another popular method of removing ear wax, the Otex Express Combi Pack comes with ear drops and an ear bulb. The easy-to-use bulb syringe gently cleanses the ear after using drops for a period of time to soften the wax. This kit works to break down the wax with the drops and flush out said wax with the ear bulb syringe.
Pros: Includes ear bulb
Cons: May not work for all
Review: "Most effective. Crackles on application. Follow instructions but do not use balloon syringe for irrigation if you have any sort of sinus or ear inflammation as this will make pain worsen. Use the drops alone and do not aggravate the ears."
Best recommended earwax removal kit
www.boots.com
Including an ear bulb, drainage collection cup and carbamide peroxide drops, this earwax removal kit may help to loosen some of the blocked wax that you're experiencing. When coming into contact with your ear, it will make a slight crackling sound as the carbamide peroxide breaks down the earwax, but should help to free up any hardness in your ear canal.
Pros: Highly searched after product
Cons: May cause dryness in the ear canal
Review: "Bought this as recommended by the nurse at the walk-in centre as both of my ears were completely blocked with wax. Following the instructions a large plug of wax came out of each of my ears. This was just after one use. Very impressed. It did exactly what it should do very effectively."
Best sodium bicarbonate earwax removal drops
Similarly, these ear drops containing sodium bicarbonate allow the wax to break down and may cause a crackling effect in the ears as they work. However, according to reviews, persistent use of these drops have helped reviewers to regain their sense of hearing after dealing with bothersome earwax.
Pros: Clinically recommended
Cons: May cause dryness in the ear canal
Review: "I've used sodium bicarbonate airdrops for many years from another brand, but decided to order the Otex drops from Amazon for convenience. They work just as well as the previous ones I have used. You do have to be patient and use them twice a day for about five days before you notice any improvement. However, I found them to be very good at loosening stubborn earwax."
Best recommended earwax removal drops
Containing a small amount of hydrogen peroxide, these eardrops from Earex may help you to dislodge any uncomfortable wax. With a softening effect, the hydrogen peroxide breaks down the wax, allowing you to rid yourself of any blockages in the ear.
Pros: Promising reviews
Cons: May not work for all
Review: "Fit for purpose. Getting hard to purchase in the chemists. It works a treat to keep my ears free from wax and haven't found a comparable product."
Best recommended earwax removal drops
lloydspharmacy.com
As seen in our FAQ section below, olive oil drops are recommended by Senior Clinical Pharmacist, AbrahamThePharmacist, on YouTube. Olive oil works as a softening agent in order to make hard and impacted wax, (which is more common as we age) easier to break down, especially before treatment.
Pros: Recommended by pharmacists
Cons: May not work for all
Review: "Worked well to soften up ear wax prior to a syringe at the surgery."
Our verdict: The best earwax removal kit
In conclusion, the earwax removal kit that we would recommend would be the Otex Express Ear Drops due to its highly rated reviews across Amazon. These ear drops reduce the need for ear syringing and help to remove hardened wax from the ear canal by breaking down the earwax into small pieces.
FAQs
How to use an earwax removal kit at home?
There are many different types of earwax removal kits, and of course, you should always read the instructions every time. Generally, however, ear removal kits advise that you use ear drops for around two weeks before using a kit. This helps the wax to soften beforehand, making it easier to penetrate hardened wax.
We found these videos from AbrahamThePharmacist and Doctor O'Donovan on YouTube extremely useful to follow for removing ear wax from home.