View Full Version : Ear wax
No matter how good your systems and listening rooms are, there is still that final ears/brain interface that needs attention and as far as I am aware there are no "upgraded ears" on the market you can buy if your current set isn't up to par :lol:
After doing what I shouldn't have done with poking cotton buds in my ears and doing damage, I tried regularly using Earex to allegedly remove excess ear wax and for a start it burned my ears, it then basically redistributed it all around the ears into a godawful sticky mess :( Olive oil was not much better and going to the doctor's for a syringing meant a wait of weeks sometimes before I got seen to have it done.
I have found that giving the ears a drenching while in the shower each day does help to stop a heavy build-up of wax over quite a long period, but the wax always wins in the end :(
So, how do you chaps manage to keep your lug holes in perfect tip top audiophile listening shape?
Reid Malenfant
30-03-2011, 19:09
Exterol which dissolves the wax & then makes me totally deaf in one ear (do one ear at a time :eyebrows:). A few drops 3 times a day & after about 4 days i syringe that ear myself & then do the other...
Pukka :cool:
I never put anything in my ear smaller than my elbow ;)
vinylspinner
30-03-2011, 19:14
That's what my old gran used to say!!
Stratmangler
30-03-2011, 19:17
That's what my old gran used to say!!
And what was it young gran used to say ?:eyebrows:
I had microsuction recently. Much better than syringing. If your very lucky you can get it on NHS but i payed 60 quid for it. Best audio upgrade ive done for a while.
My Gran used to say 'It's just a lie'...
but that was her general description of TV ;)
vinylspinner
30-03-2011, 19:29
Tell me more please!!! ref microsuction
That's what my old gran used to say!!
And as my Great Aunt Maude always used to say . . . . . . . . "Aw, bollox to it" and that kept her spirits going for many a long year :eyebrows:
Yes Iwould like to know more about Microsuction too. Sounds rather promising :eyebrows:
Covenant
30-03-2011, 19:48
I have to go about once a year to my local clinic to get one ear treated. They make me hold a cup underneath my ear then blast the wax with a little machine that pulses warm water into the canal. Its quite pleasant really.
The last time the nurse did it she fished out a piece of wax about an inch long! For the next couple of hours its like having an amplifier stuck in your head. I can literally hear a pin drop.
Jac Hawk
30-03-2011, 19:50
well a mate at work who used to live in prague brought me in an "Ear Candle" which is a small plastic tube which goes into your ear, and attached to that is a sort of funnel made out of waxed paper, you basically lie on one side, ram this thing in yer ear and set fire to it, and it draws the ear wax out. i was a bit reluctant, but it worked to my total ashtonishment.
well a mate at work who used to live in prague brought me in an "Ear Candle" which is a small plastic tube which goes into your ear, and attached to that is a sort of funnel made out of waxed paper, you basically lie on one side, ram this thing in yer ear and set fire to it, and it draws the ear wax out. i was a bit reluctant, but it worked to my total ashtonishment.
I went for a haircut in China once and they did this as part of the service, I was VERY worried at first, but blow me it worked :)
Reid Malenfant
30-03-2011, 19:56
For the next couple of hours its like having an amplifier stuck in your head. I can literally hear a pin drop.
If you can get somewhere quiet quickly enough you all you can hear is a shhhhh sound, which is the the air circulating & hitting itself - quite amazing :eyebrows:
By the way, the last time i had my ear syringed with that pulsing machine i had the nurse apologising to me as my ears were bleeding :eek:
Never again...
DIY for me ;)
i had mine done 6 months or so back with the pulsing thing and it did cause a bit of discomfort when the nurse was doing it, my sister who practices medicine tells me the same thing about never putting anything bigger than your elbow in your ear, apparently they don't do the old fashioned syringing anymore due to the number of perferated ear drums as a result, after my last ear cleansing session i have found that i'm a more deaf than i hoped which is not so good, the stuff you now get from the chemist for loosening up the wax is very good it makes all sorts of popping and crackling sounds when you put it in and certainly does the job
Neil McCauley
30-03-2011, 20:47
Theoretically this might work - http://bit.ly/dP5MDu - but the collateral damage isn't worth it, it seems. So not my first choice.
Reid Malenfant
30-03-2011, 20:48
<snip> the stuff you now get from the chemist for loosening up the wax is very good it makes all sorts of popping and crackling sounds when you put it in and certainly does the job
I get Exterol from the chemist Jon, same effect m8 :) You just love that bubbling/fizzing/popping because you know it's dissolving the wax :eyebrows:
I reckon a lot of this perforated eardrum stuff was because they weren't fully dissolving or loosening the wax before blasting your ears out, so had to use more pressure to clear non loosened wax nearer the eardrum :rolleyes:
I DIY, I'm in control :)
Microsuction is when they put a few drops of oil in your ear and then stick a vacum pipe in and sucks up the debri. The guy told me wax is mainly dead skin cells.
Oh dear - so a cotton bud in warm water every day isn't a good idea, then? Been doing in for nearly 30 years, so perhaps that's why I buy so much crap music!
Ive had trouble with my ears since i was a kid and every health care professional thats seen me has said dont stick buds in you ear because it pushes the wax towards the ear drum where it gets stuck.
Yeh cease the cotton buds right now. It just compresses and smears the wax further into your ear.
Wax is a pain in the arse have to go to the docs once in a while as I go almost deaf with it eventually. Nurses here won't have a go unless you've been using olive oil every day for 2 weeks to loosen it up. Right pain in the arse but better than blasting wax through your eardrum into your brain I suppose !!
Butuz
You won't get any wax in your ears if you keep letting her stick her tongue in!! :eyebrows:
Marco.
You won't get any wax in your ears if you keep letting her stick her tongue in!! :eyebrows:
Marco.
Ah, I see - I thought Tabatha cleaned your ears out after she'd done your vinyl! :lol:
That's not the only thing she gives a quick buff, mate, I can tell you!
Marco.
as far as I am aware there are no "upgraded ears" on the market you can buy if your current set isn't up to par :lol:
Not seen these then, Frank?
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/batphones
:lol:
The Grand Wazoo
30-03-2011, 23:07
I think we've been down this road before on AoS before but...........I think it's still possible to get these on the National Health.............
http://www.telovation.com/photos/acoustic-listening-devices.jpg
Not seen these then, Frank?
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/batphones
:lol:
No, I think I prefer these seen on the same website:
http://cdn.trendhunterstatic.com/phpthumbnails/11/11796/11796_1_468c.jpeg
:lol:
Theoretically this might work - http://bit.ly/dP5MDu - but the collateral damage isn't worth it, it seems. So not my first choice.
Bloody hell Howard, don't even joke about it! In my previous existence as a semiconductor engineer I used concentrated hydroflouric acid in large quantities and it's terrifying stuff. You don't know it's burned you until it's gone through your skin and started destroying your bones. Any suspicion of skin contact meant a trip to casualty and copious painful injections of calcium gel around the burn site. If you're lucky and quick, amputation on't be necessary. At least with Hydrochloric and Sulphuric you know immediately what's happened and can wash it off before it goes too deep, but HF is a real devil's brew.
RochaCullen
31-03-2011, 09:53
Hey Frank,
One or two of the guys on this thread have mentioned them already, but you can get yourself some hopi candles, I've been meaning to pick one of these up for my dad as he is having a similar problem. Its non-invasive so you won't damage your ear in the process. You lie on your side, put the hopi candle in your ear, light the top, and the natural air convection and movement draws the wax out of your ear. Its gotta be top of your list.
Nathan
Hey Frank,
One or two of the guys on this thread have mentioned them already, but you can get yourself some hopi candles, I've been meaning to pick one of these up for my dad as he is having a similar problem. Its non-invasive so you won't damage your ear in the process. You lie on your side, put the hopi candle in your ear, light the top, and the natural air convection and movement draws the wax out of your ear. Its gotta be top of your list.
Nathan
Already got some Hopi Candles here Nathan and have had the treatment before, but not for ear wax problems. They do a fantastic job with blocked sinuses :eyebrows:
jandl100
03-04-2011, 08:28
Coo - what a useful thread. :)
I've just bought a set of these Hopi Candles on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hopi-Ear-Candles-Filters-Pairs/dp/B003TKMGJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301818942&sr=8-1
Coo - what a useful thread. :)
I've just bought a set of these Hopi Candles on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hopi-Ear-Candles-Filters-Pairs/dp/B003TKMGJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301818942&sr=8-1
If you like them i can supply you with large quantity and beat Amazon price ;)
I ventured into a proper Chinese Health shop this afternoon for some ear candles, the (chinese) couple that own it suggested that they show us the proper way to use them, so after being relieved of £15 for two pairs of candles ( you only need one pair per session) and a further £7.50 for a 15 odd minute lay down on the couch session i had both my ears cleaned listening to relaxing Chinese music, this was a pain free and a very nice experience unlike my last trip to the local doctors nurse, my hearing has now been restored without all the fuss of having to put drops in my ears and be partially deaf for a week, after the session the Chinese doctor cut open the candles to show me how much wax had been sucked out, i was amazed as i only had my ears cleaned last year, it also helps clear your sinus's. so for £15 all in i think it was a bargain and better than the old fashioned blast it out with water technique
Seems not everyone likes this practice;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_candling
Good experiment would be to light this candle and see what is produced without even sticking it in ones ear.
interesting article, looks like i'm one of those "theres one born every minute" then, it has done something as i can certainly hear better at the moment, but my ears do feel a bit sore and odd this morning
the Chinese doctor cut open the candles to show me how much wax had been sucked out, i was amazed as i only had my ears cleaned last year,
Just to make sure, try burning an ear candle standing on a table (the candle, not you!). You will find that the wax from the candle runs down the inside and congeals. What you saw is unlikely to have been sucked out of your ears by the updraught from a candle flame.
interesting article, looks like i'm one of those "theres one born every minute" then, it has done something as i can certainly hear better at the moment, but my ears do feel a bit sore and odd this morning
Hmmm, that to me does not sound encouraging :( I stand by my earlier quote, you shouldn't put anything in your ears smaller than your elbow. I'm a scuba diver and have learnt a few things about ears over the years, the main one being don't f**k with them!
wee tee cee
11-04-2011, 00:10
I wear expandable foam ear plugs when riding my motorbike and when trying to sleep during the day off a nightshift.The plugs squish up in your finger and then re-expand when you push them in your ear forming an almost silent barrier to outside noise.An added bonus is that when you pull them out in the morning they have collected all the wax from your earhole.Not pretty...but very effective.I use EARFIT ones,they come in various sizes to fit different ear canal sizes.You can get variety packs to see which ones suit you best.No prodding, pocking, lotions or potions, not to mention setting fire to things inserted in your ears.Motorcycle dealers do multi packs of 50-100 for about a tenner.If nothing else you get a fantastically sound sleep.worth a try....
I had microsuction recently. Much better than syringing. If your very lucky you can get it on NHS but i payed 60 quid for it. Best audio upgrade ive done for a while.
Mmm! Currently my NHS Trust (Hospital) is looking to save £60 million over next 3 years :stalks: - don't expect this otological service/tune/MOT to be offered on the NHS ;)
On a serious note - grandma is right - really not a good idea to poke around in your ear - all sorts of potential problems ranging from infection, through lost poking tools to perforated ear drum - get one of the latter and you may as well sell up and by a Dansette :lolsign:
Steve
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