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So there’s this widespread belief that you can stick a candle in your ear and light the other end and it will suck a healthy amount of wax from deep inside your inner ear. Crazy, right? So crazy, you are probably thinking, “How does that work?”
Well, it’s not a matter of how it works, because … it doesn’t work.
Ear candling is highly marketed crock of sh*t out here in the Southern Californian coastal communities. And would you believe — people buy it. I’ve heard surfers (who, obviously, have been smacked by the board a few too many times) say that it actually clears their canals of lodged sand and fills the entire candle with wax in one session. But I tend to believe it’s a bit more likely that someone wanted to start making $20 off a stick of wax — or even more money off the professional service of ear candling that’s become, for many, as common as the routine haircut.
So, I tried it. I picked up a 4-pack of candles made especially for ear candling from the health section of my local natural foods store and, with the help of a partner, lit up in the comfort of my own living room. I got real comfortable on the couch, stuck the candle as far in my ear as it would comfortably go, lit the end end and let it burn for about 10-15 minutes. (That was how long it took for the flame to come too close for comfort to my head.) The thing was like a small torch — and the surprisingly big flame is not gonna let this fad succeed much further without getting slapped a huge fire lawsuit.
The process felt a little warm, but I by no means felt wax being magically lifted from my ears. I cut the hollow candle open afterward, and sure enough it was filled with some wax-looking stuff, which I believe to be some sort of residue that’s created from the stuff that threads the inside of the candle. The whole thing is a hoax; I’m sure of it. Light the candle without putting it inside the ear and I’m sure it would still fill with “wax.”
I could be wrong about the ridiculousness of ear candling, but either way, it was kind of amusing to use my head as a candle holder. I even took a picture.
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