Wax blockage in the ear is a very common phenomenon and could happen to anyone who might neglect the regular cleaning of their ear. The wax, which protects the ear canal from bacteria and antigen, can get accumulated and block the ear canal if not cleaned properly. Infections might also start breeding when blockage has been present for an extended period. The accumulated wax can trap water inside the ear and foster infections.
The cure for a blocked ear depends totally on the duration of the problem. The longer the blockage has persisted, the more amount of wax there would be in the ear. If the blocked wax is giving you a lot of trouble, it is better to get examined by a ear specialist.
When you have a blockage in your ear, it is natural to feel a constantly irritating feeling in your ear. The hearing might get diminished and there could be a constant feeling of pressure in the ear. Whatever you might feel, never poke anything into you ear. If you want to poke something to clean your ear, try a cotton bud and that too should be used very gently. Make sure that you use the bud to only clean the opening of the outer ear canal. So not try to clean the debris that is within the ear as this may only serve to push it further in.
Simple irrigation has been observed as an effective method of cleaning the ear. Warm some water and pour it through a dropper into your ear. The heat coming out of the water will help melt the wax. Let the hot water remain in your ear for a couple of minutes then simply tilt your head to one side so that the water can flow out. Repeat this process three to four times everyday. Once the blockage is more or less removed, use a cotton swab to remove the rest of the wax.
If the warm water doesn’t help, you can use warm olive oil instead. Warm olive oil has chemical properties that help penetrate even thick layers of wax. Warm olive oil should help you clear the wax to a large extent. However, if that too doesn’t work, it means that the wax has really solidified and it would take something stronger to penetrate. In this case, first use a dehumidifier in your room. The steam from the dehumidifier will help loosed up the wax. Let the dehumidifier work for about fifteen – twenty minutes. After that, drop a few drops of apple cider vinegar diluted with water and salt, into your ear. This should help clear out the wax.