Olive oil is a home remedy as old as time, but that doesn't mean it's a good ear cleaner!
Earwax is normally present in the ear in order to protect the inner ear from bacteria and foreign objects such as dust or debris. Earwax also protects the ear from water-causing infections. Nevertheless, excessive or impacted earwax can harm the ear causing pain and hearing loss.
According to NetDoctor, although olive oil softens the earwax, the wax sludge that results does more harm than good.
So why have we grown up thinking that olive oil is the best answer to our earwax problems?
General practitioners have been telling patients for years to put olive oil in their ears to soften the wax. After a few weeks, the general practitioner would then perform an ear syringing if there was a hearing problem due to the excessive wax.
But from now on, let's keep our olive oil in the kitchen and OUT of our ears!