Remove the ear candle from the stick and place somewhere safe for it to set properly. You may have to go back over the ear candle by putting it back on another stick when it is dry and filling any gaps with some more hot wax. It needs to be completely sealed as this is the way it works - by creating a vacuum in the ear, thereby sucking out the ear wax.

The way ear candles work is by placing them just within the external part of the ear canal, ensuring that it fits comfortably. I always use a piece of cardboard covered with alluminium foil to protect the patient and cut a hole in it for the ear candle to go through just to be totally over cautious. Light one end of the candle while placing your finger over the narrow, unlit end and burn for 30 seconds to ensure the candle is drawing properly and then place the unlit end in the patient's ear while they are lying on their side. Have the patient hold the ear candle in place gently, taking care not to pinch the candle. They take about 15 minutes to burn down and you may want to cut the top of half way through so it doesn't sag and drop on the person getting the treatment. Leave a good 10cm on the end and extinguish in a bowl of water. You should always get the patient to use oil in their ears for a couple of nights before treatment to loosen wax. The person getting the treatment will hear slight crackling sounds and from time to time the candle will flare as it burns of excess wax.

 

The final product. Cutting open the ear candle to reveal the wax that has been sucked out of the ear canal. A much gentler way of removing wax from the ears then ear syringing and very effective.

I wish to thank my beautiful and dear friend Barbara Luppi for teaching me how to make and use ear candles. Without her, and her Aunty who taught Barbara, I would never have learned this wonderful skill, and my patients would never have reaped the benefits of this age old tradition.

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