Stick it in your ear and set light to it! (BioSun Hopi Ear Candles)

Member Name: SusanLesley

Product:	BioSun Hopi Ear Candles
Date:	18/03/09 (303 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It feels nice, it works, no chemicals

Disadvantages: A bit expensive

Ever since I have known him my husband, Dave, has suffered from a build up of wax in his ears. Every so often this becomes so bad that it affects his hearing - that's his story anyway! LOL! It also gives him a lot of pain if he leaves it to get too bad. He has been using Otex ear drops about every six weeks to clear the accumulated wax, a process which usually takes a few days of treatment before the ears are finally clear and the pain disappears.

My sister suggested that he try using ear candles - she and a friend of hers had both used them and both had good results. Dave said that he would like to try them as it would mean that he could clear his ears without actually putting anything into his ears.

Whilst I haven't actually used the ear candles myself I feel able to write this review as, because of how they work, I had to be present all the while Dave's ears were being treated and he told me exactly what happened and how he felt.

We have tried two different kinds of ear candles and the ones I am reviewing today are the Original Biosun Hopi & Aroma Ear Candles which I bought from Holland and Barrett for £7.99 for the pair (one for each ear!). These are slightly cheaper if bought in bulk via the Internet but obviously we just wanted to get one pair to make sure that they worked before we bought any more.

The ear candles are about 9 inches in length and are tubes of about a quarter of an inch in diameter and are sold contained in a long plastic bag sealed at the top. Full instructions are included. Take a look at the picture at the top of this review to get an idea what they actually look like.

The instruction leaflet not only tells you exactly how to use the ear candles safely it also gives a lot of ideas as to how to create a relaxing environment using scented candles, music etc. in order to make the best of the relaxing properties of the experience. To be fair we just used the ear candles to remove the wax from Dave's ears rather than making a whole relaxation exercise out of it, but the option is these if you want to do that.

There is also information about the Hopi people and the origins of the ear candles.

The way ear candles work is that you place the end in the patient's ear as they lie on their side. The other end is then lit and, as the candle burns down, the resulting vacuum created gently pulls the wax from the ear. If you imagine this process you will see why this cannot be done alone. You must have someone else with you to light the candle and to keep an eye on the naked flame to ensure safety at all times. The position the patient is in during treatment means that it would be impossible for them to monitor the flame or extinguish it when the process is finished.

The ear candles are made from 'premium quality, pesticide free, untreated cotton' and contain only pure beeswax, honey extract and traditional herbs such as sage, St John's Wort, camomile and pure essential oils. They will each burn for 10 to 12 minutes. There is a red line around the candle which is the 'maximum burn line' and when the flame reaches one centimetre above this point it must be extinguished as it will not burn out naturally. Inside this end of the candle there is also a safety filter which will prevent anything hot dropping into the ear.

To use the ear candles Dave lies on the sofa on his side so that the ear canal is vertical and I cover his head and shoulder with a towel for added protection from falling ash, although such ash will be cold at the point of falling. I also put a glass of water ready so that I can put the candle into it to make sure it is completely extinguished. The room must obviously be draught free so that the flame will burn properly and safely.

I light the burning end of the candle and place it into Dave's ear and he adjusts it for maximum comfort. As the flame burns Dave can hear a pleasant crackling sound and a slight hissing from the flame. The flame causes a chimney effect which will create a gentle suction to remove the wax from the ear, although Dave could not feel this happening.

The flame takes about ten minutes to burn down and when it reached the level of a centimetre above the red line I lifted it from Dave's ear and placed it into the glass of water to make sure it was completely extinguished.

Dave said that the feeling was very pleasant but he was not convinced that it had worked as he had not felt any movement of wax at all. He took the remains of the candle from the glass of water and unwound it to find a decent amount of wax inside the candle! He also said that he could feel the difference in his hearing.

The candles also balance the pressure in the ears, forehead and sinuses. It is a soothing experience which is helpful for the relief of earache, headache and stress. Treatment may also spontaneously cause easier breathing and an improved sense of smell even if the nose was blocked before the treatment began.

Since these ear candles also contain a combination of essential oils including lavender, camomile, ylang ylang, citrus oils, cedar and pine needle there is a slight but very pleasant aroma as the candles burn.

We have also tried a slightly different version with equally good results and I will be reviewing these soon. We now perform this ritual about every month before the wax builds up too much as opposed to leaving it a couple of months until it is a problem and then dealing with it, which is what he used to do.

All in all Dave and I both felt that the ear candles were easy to use, providing we took the appropriate care, were effective and gave a pleasant experience without the need to insert any substances into the ear. They are now a regular treatment in our house and we would both recommend them for the relief gained from their use.

This has also been posted on Ciao.

Summary: A great way to get rid of ear wax!