Are cotton swabs really essential for cleaning the ears? How to replace them to get rid of earwax?
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himI cotton swab they are really indispensable for the ear cleaning? Some people use them out of habit and convenience, others prefer not to use them, and simply use water, soap and a towel to clean the ears. Because? Because their use is also not recommended by doctors, as they could damage the ears.
Considering the point of view of the environment and waste, it is true that most of the cotton buds on sale turn out biodegradable, but it is in any case necessary to consider how their realization requires the use of raw materials such as cotton and plastic, whose production is among the least sustainable in the world; on the one hand due to the use of pesticides, on the other hand due to the need to use petroleum, in the case of non-biodegradable sticks. It is the disposable concept that should be questioned, preferring the reusable.
Index
Where do you throw the cotton buds
Lo disposal of cotton buds does not always happen correctly. Some bad habits can lead to throwing cotton buds in the sanitary drains every day, so that they will constitute one of the possible polluting waste that can reach the waters of our planet. The biodegradable sticks must be thrown into the appropriate containers for separate collection. Non-biodegradable cotton buds will end up in the non-recyclable waste, and must not be thrown down the toilet. They could reach beaches and seas and use also 500 years to biodegrade.
Damage from using cotton buds
Nowadays the use of cotton buds is not recommended by practically all otolaryngologists who suggest, instead, to use a soft cotton towel to rub gently in the outermost part of the auricle.
The risks of damaging eardrums and hearing while we try to clean the ear and eliminate earwax are very high, especially among children and teens.
Also, one of the main reasons why you should avoid using cotton buds for cleaning your ears is that they can act as a vector for bacteria and germs that can remain inside the ear. Also because it is good to know that the ear is a self-cleaning organ: in fact, earwax and dead skin are gradually pushed towards the outside by the small cilia present in the ear canal and for this it is not necessary to use cotton buds, but prefer, in fact cleaning with a towel or soft damp cloth.
The alternatives to cotton buds
You can use some alternatives to cotton buds and why decide not to use them? The instructions reported on their packaging indicate that the cotton swabs should be used only for cleaning the part Outdoor ears, but a similar indication is not always followed, leading to some possible risks, such as the accidental insertion of the cotton swab into the ear canal or the progressive accumulation of dirt towards the inside of the ears. The accidents related to cotton buds can particularly affect children, who should therefore never use them alone.
Dampened cloth handkerchief
One of the possible alternatives to the use of cotton buds is to use a moistened cloth handkerchief, to be wrapped on a make-up brush, in such a way as to be able to clean the ears almost like with a cotton swab, while avoiding waste. Also in this case this method will have to be used carefully and we would like to suggest others.
Metal stick with cotton
Another methodology for cleaning the ears that we strongly advise against comes from the East and to be precise from India. The substitute of the disposable sticks in this case consists of the use of a metal stick, at the end of which is rolled up cotton thread, so that it can form a tip similar to that of a cotton swab.
Bamboo sticks with cotton
Other oriental ear cleaning sticks can be made of ordinary wood or bamboo instead of metal. Again from the East, the reference in this case is given by traditional Ayurvedic medicine, alternative methods for ear cleaning little known in the West arrive.
Vegetable oils
This is the use of vegetable oils for ear cleaning, which is performed by experts using specific techniques within specialized Ayurvedic centers. The oil most commonly used for this purpose is represented bysesame seed oil. Mixes of specific healing oils depending on the constitution (vata, pitta or kapha, based on ancient Indian texts) of the subject undergoing treatment.
In any case, these are specific medicated oils, applied in order to remove earwax and to loosen any tensions in the body. With sesame oil or medicated oils can be replaced dell 'olive oil, to be applied with the fingers inside the ears to facilitate the removal of earwax, by tilting first the head inwards and then outwards, so as to be able to allow the escape, both of the ear wax and of the oil. The operation is even easier using slightly heated olive oil.
Karna Dhanti
Lo yoga It offers a technique ear cleaning called Karna Dhanti. It must be performed with great care, as it involves inserting the little finger into the ear canal and performing a slight rotation, which allows the removal of any accumulated ear wax. Cleaning is done for both ears by first using the pinkie and then the index finger, to complete it.
Ear cleaning cones
A final remedy to point out is constituted by ear cleaning cones, which would facilitate the removal of earwax, on the market in pharmacies and parapharmacies. However, their use is rather controversial and not everyone finds them really useful. Furthermore, among the ingredients of their composition, the paraffin, a petroleum derivative.
You have additional remedies to suggest by the way, in place of cotton buds?
Read also:
- Cotton buds: 20 alternative and creative uses
- How stressed are you? Check your ear wax to measure cortisol levels
- Why do we have earwax?
