Ok, let’s see a show of hands…how many of us out there q-tip our ears?

Daily? Weekly? Monthly?

I’m a Saturday q-tipper myself.  My husband, who won’t mind if I disclose, is a daily user.

Now, don’t get grossed out.  It’s ok to talk about, even though it’s not discussed very often.  It’s a part of tons of people’s hygiene regimen, actually probably most people’s.

Cleaning out your earwax.  There. It’s out in the open.  We all have earwax.  Some more than others.  And some much, much more than others.  Eew!

Now. What to do about it…if anything.  Earwax is there for a reason.  It protects your ear from dust, insects, bacteria, etc and the ear canal skin from irritation due to water.

How often to use a q-tip, if at all?  Well, why wouldn’t you, you may ask?

Do you read warning labels on products or are you like me, who never does and blindly goes through life trusting that everybody has my best intentions in mind when they put something out on the market??!

The warning label on the Q-tip box says “Don’t stick in your ear.  Just brush lightly on the outside”, or something like that.  Can you believe it?!  All this time I’ve been putting this thing into my ear canal and I was forewarned not to!

because… there’s a danger of accidentally pushing the earwax deeper, causing a blockage.  This can cause temporary hearing loss and be very uncomfortable.  Also, removing earwax can cause your ear to become dry and itchy.

I only thought to question q-tip usage cause I noticed a little earwax on my beach rose’s adorable little earlobe and thought it was time I asked the pediatrician if I should be q-tipping her too.  Thank goodness I asked!

There’s a saying, “Don’t put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear.”

Our pediatrician and many doctors (& apparently the Q-tip company!) are agreeing with this statement and strongly urge that we leave our ears alone.  They strongly advised that people not use cotton swabs or ear candling.  (How anyone could be brave enough to strike a match near their hair is beyond me!  I know I’d be the one that ended up burning their eardrums or face…owwwww!)

So what happens to all that extra earwax, if you don’t q-tip ever again?

You asked…

our ears will take care of any excess wax themselves, by pushing it out.  Now there’s an image…

Moral of the story:  read the warning labels.

P.S.    Looks like Q-tip is going to need to come up with a new use for its product!