Olive oil for ear wax: does it work?

Olive oil does help with ear wax, but it softens the wax rather than dissolving it. A few drops a day for 3 to 5 days loosen hard wax so your ear can move it out naturally, usually over the next week or two. It is the first thing the NHS suggests trying, it costs very little and it is gentle. It won't clear every blockage, though, particularly wax that is tightly packed.

Does olive oil get rid of ear wax?

Olive oil works with your ear rather than doing the job for it. Ear wax is a mix of oils, dead skin and the secretions of glands in the outer canal. When it builds up, the outside dries into a hard crust that sticks to the canal wall and stops the wax moving. Oil soaks into that crust, softens it and lubricates the surface.

Once it is soft, the ear's own cleaning system can take over. The skin of the ear canal grows slowly outwards, carrying wax with it, and the movement of your jaw as you talk and eat helps it along. Our guide to what ear wax is and why it builds up explains this in more detail.

For a mild blockage, that is often enough. For wax that is packed deep against the eardrum, oil usually softens the surface without shifting the plug, and a clinician will need to remove it. Even then the oil helps, because softened wax is much easier to take out.

What the research says

Less than you might expect. A 2018 Cochrane review, which pulled together every suitable trial it could find, turned up only 10 studies of wax-softening drops. Most were more than 15 years old and all were fairly small. Olive oil, the drop most people actually use, has had very little formal testing.

What the review did find is useful, though:

• In the one trial that compared drops with no treatment, about 22% of treated ears were completely clear after 5 days, against 5% of untreated ears.
• No type of drop was shown to work better than another, and oil-based drops did no better or worse than water-based ones.
• Side effects were uncommon and mild, such as brief discomfort or irritation.

So why is olive oil the usual first step? Because it is gentle, cheap, easy to buy and unlikely to cause problems, and nothing else has been shown to do a better job. The NHS recommends it, and NICE's clinical summary for GPs includes it among the drops to try first.

How to use olive oil for ear wax

The NHS suggests putting 2 or 3 drops of olive or almond oil in the blocked ear 3 to 4 times a day, for 3 to 5 days. Lie on your side with that ear facing up, let the drops fall in and stay lying down for 5 to 10 minutes so they can soak in. Warm the bottle in your hand first, as cold oil can make you dizzy.

A few small details make a real difference, such as the angle you pull the ear to and how to stop the oil running straight back out. Our step-by-step guide on how to use ear drops covers them all, along with the other drops a pharmacist may suggest.

Olive oil drops, spray or oil from the kitchen?

Pharmacies sell olive oil for ears in two forms, and some people wonder whether the bottle by the cooker would do just as well.

Whichever you choose, keep the bottle clean and don't share it. If you are allergic to olive oil, which is rare, a pharmacist can suggest a water-based alternative.

How long does olive oil take to work?

Give it longer than you might think. The first day or two can feel slightly worse, because the wax swells as it softens and may close up the small gap that was letting sound through. You may hear crackling or popping as it shifts.

Over the following couple of weeks, lumps of softened wax should start to come out, often at night while you are lying down. You may spot them on the pillow before you notice your hearing improve. If your ear is still blocked after 5 days of oil, the NHS advises seeing a nurse at your GP surgery. You don't need to wait out the full 2 weeks before getting help.

Some people who block up often use a couple of drops once or twice a week to keep wax soft. The NHS says regular use of drops or oil can help wax fall out naturally, but there is no fixed routine, so ask your pharmacist or clinician what would suit you. Our guide on how often ear wax should be removed has more on this.

When not to use olive oil in your ears

Olive oil is gentle, but it shouldn't go into an ear that might have a damaged eardrum or an infection.

Oil can reach the middle ear through a hole in the eardrum, which is why it matters. If you have had ear problems before and aren't sure what state your eardrum is in, ask a pharmacist or GP before you start.

If olive oil hasn't cleared your ear

Don't reach for a cotton bud. Pushing at softened wax packs it back down, and our guide to why cotton buds make ear wax worse explains how. Ear candles and ear vacuums aren't the answer either: the NHS says there is no evidence they remove wax, and our guide to home kits and camera tools goes through the rest.

The next step is to have your ear looked at. A clinician can confirm the problem is wax and remove it, usually with microsuction or electronic irrigation, often in a single appointment. The few days of oil you have already used will have made that easier.

If you would rather try the NHS first, our guide to ear wax removal on the NHS explains what is still available. The page on do-it-yourself ear wax methods sums up what is and isn't worth trying at home.