What is ear wax?
Earwax (common name for cerumen) is a waxy substance that can be grey, brown or yellow in colour and is made up of skin cells, secretions and hair which clumps together to form earwax.
Our ears are fantastic at cleaning themselves, our bodies creates this amazing substance that helps maintain the health of our ear. Its when individuals try and "clean" their ears themselves is when problems occur.
Using the likes of cotton buds (Q-Tips), inserting fingers and even using foreign objects such as hair clips, keys, pen lids and even knives all which is incredibly dangerous and never recommended.
In fact it is the use of such things that actually push the wax deeper into the ear causing not only itchy ears but also leads to impacted earwax.
Why do we have earwax?
Earwax is good to have in your ears, it protects the eardrum from damage by uninvited particles as well as cleans , lubricates and protects against bacteria. it's anti-bacterial so it keeps any germs or infections from taking hold in the ear canal.
Earwax naturally lubricates the skin of the ear which prevents any drying out or irritation to occur
It has an odour because it acts as a natural insect repellent, making the ear canal a hostile environment for anything trying to get into your ear.
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