Ear Candling and Wax Ear Candling, I'm sure we've all heard about it or have done it at some point in time [definitely more popular in the early 2000s]. Candling has been advertised as a natural home remedy to remove ear wax similar to ear drops and Q-tips. But does it actually work? Is it safe? What are Ear Candles? Ear candles are just that, candles. These hollow candles have been advertised as 'cure-alls' for things like wax blockages and earaches. I definitely remember my mom using these on me as a child for earaches after swimming. As the candle burns down it's supposed to draw the wax out of your ear. At the end, you can cut them open and there is usually some pretty gross-looking stuff inside that was supposedly pulled from the ear. The question remains, is the candle actually pulling wax out of the ear? The Reality of Ear Candling As an effective way to remove wax, according to research ear candling isn't up to par with clinical approaches such as water irrigation. Although the warmth of the candle can provide some temporary relief from pain; like putting heat on a sore muscle. The concern with ear candling is 3 fold: 1. it doesn't really remove wax 2. the chance that wax or other material will fall into the ear and 3. the heat can dry out the ear canal. Although it may look like wax is being removed from the ear, the laws of physics cause...