🫒 Ingredients
- 2–3 drops of medical/pharmacy-grade olive oil
- A clean dropper
- A tissue for the outside of the ear
The NHS advises that adults with suspected earwax buildup can try 2–3 drops of olive or almond oil, keeping the affected ear facing upward for several minutes afterward.
Important: don’t make an ear-drop mixture
I would not recommend mixing olive oil with garlic, essential oils, lemon juice, vinegar, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or other kitchen ingredients and putting the mixture into the ear. The ear canal and eardrum are delicate, and inappropriate substances can cause irritation or injury.
🧴 How to Use It
1. Wash your hands
Before handling the dropper or touching the area around your ear, wash your hands thoroughly.
2. Warm the oil gently
The oil should be comfortable rather than cold. You can warm the container in your hand for a few minutes. Do not heat it directly or use hot oil.
3. Lie on your side
Place the affected ear facing upward.
4. Apply the drops
Using a clean dropper, place 2–3 drops of olive oil into the affected ear.
5. Stay in position
Remain lying with the affected ear facing upward for approximately 5–10 minutes, allowing the oil to reach the earwax.
6. Clean only the outside
When you sit up, allow excess oil to come out naturally and wipe the outer ear with a tissue.
Do not insert cotton buds, fingers, hairpins, or other objects into the ear canal. These can push wax deeper and potentially damage the ear.
📅 How Often?
For ordinary suspected earwax buildup, NHS guidance suggests repeating the olive-oil treatment 3–4 times a day for 3–5 days.
Other healthcare guidance uses somewhat different schedules, so following the instructions from a pharmacist or the product you’re using is preferable.
If the ear remains blocked after several days, don’t keep adding more and more oil indefinitely. A healthcare professional can look inside the ear and determine whether wax is actually the problem.
👂 Will This Restore Hearing?
This is an important distinction.
Olive oil doesn’t repair damaged hearing and it isn’t a general treatment for hearing loss. Its purpose in this situation is simply to soften earwax, making it easier for the wax to leave the ear naturally or to be removed professionally.
Hearing changes can have many causes, including earwax, infection, a perforated eardrum, inner-ear problems, or other conditions. Mayo Clinic specifically notes that hearing loss or earache does not automatically mean that earwax is responsible.
Therefore, the claim in the image that four drops will make you “hear like new again” is too broad and misleading.
⚠️ When You Should NOT Put Oil or Drops in Your Ear
Do not use earwax-softening drops if you know or suspect that you have a perforated eardrum, unless a healthcare professional has specifically advised you to do so.
You should also get professional advice rather than experimenting with drops if you have:
- Significant ear pain
- Fluid or pus coming from the ear
- Blood coming from the ear
- Sudden hearing loss
- Significant dizziness
- A recent ear injury
- Recent ear surgery
- A history of eardrum perforation
- Repeated ear infections
Sudden hearing loss in particular deserves prompt medical assessment rather than being assumed to be earwax.
🌿 A Safer Social-Media Recipe
If you’re creating a Facebook recipe/health post from the image, I’d word it like this:
🫒 Homemade-Style Olive Oil Earwax Softening Method
Ingredients:
2–3 drops of pharmacy-grade olive oil.
Directions:
Wash your hands. Warm the oil gently in your hand so it isn’t cold. Lie down with the affected ear facing upward. Place 2–3 drops into the ear and remain in that position for 5–10 minutes. Let excess oil drain naturally and wipe only the outside of the ear.
Repeat according to pharmacist or healthcare guidance if the problem is suspected earwax.
Never insert cotton buds or other objects into the ear.
Do not use drops if you have a perforated eardrum or have been advised not to put liquids in your ear.
And most importantly: this method is intended only for suspected earwax buildup—it is not a treatment for unexplained hearing loss.
If your hearing suddenly becomes reduced, or you have pain, discharge, bleeding, or dizziness, seek medical advice rather than trying a homemade ear remedy.
❤️ Bottom line
The safest takeaway from the image is not “put four drops of oil in your ear and your hearing will return.” A more accurate statement is:
“If earwax is causing a blocked-ear sensation, appropriate earwax-softening drops may help soften the wax.”
That distinction is important because treating the wrong cause of hearing loss can delay proper care.