Best ear drops according to redditors

It's called surface tension. It's similar to how water can hang over the top edge of a glass. There are some alcohol based drops that can be used to displace the water.

https://www.amazon.com/ENT-Essentials-Drying-Drops-Fluid/dp/B01DVO77LG

Yummy.

Periodically I have a TON of stuff like this come out of my ears. It used to be a lot worse.

Here's a fun story (with some useful info): I needed ear canal impressions for custom earplugs recently. Upon checking my ears, the audiologist immediately declared that one of my ears was almost completely blocked with impacted earwax and I'd have to get it cleared before I could get the impressions.

Like most people these days, it's doubtless partly due to high decibel listening - particularly using my closed cup headphones - and general assault from noisy life in general. The earwax overproduction is partly your ear defending itself, and also possibly overproduction due to irritation or environmental factors.

Apparently my eardrum was almost completely covered -- just the tiniest gap through which I was hearing (yet I heard no difference in sound whatsoever between ears, and I'm a sound engineer!).

So, in order to take the impressions you need clear ear canals. To accomplish this within a week, I used the following:

• medical grade olive oil: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Georges-Medical-Olive-Oil-Drops/dp/B002AEWSF4
  
• chemical based solution (active ingredient Urea Hydrogen Peroxide): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Otex-Express-Ear-Drops-10ml/dp/B001LK8BRW/
  
  and this MAGICAL ear syringe:
  
  
• http://www.amazon.co.uk/AcuLife-Ear-Wax-Removal-Syringe/dp/B000SOJXGA
  
  DON'T use any products that involve suction or curettess / earpicks / q-tips. You should avoid touching the incredibly sensitive eardrum at all costs.
  
  Alternating between olive oil and the chemical product I found worked well.
  
  This part is slightly messy. If you are able to sleep on your side without moving, the simplest way to loosen up the earwax is to tilt your head right over, drop olive oil right into the ear until it feels completely blocked, massage in vigorously and leave overnight. Sleep with your head on a towel.
  
  In the morning, you'll find some will have seeped out but the rest will be absorbed into the hardened earwax. Later that day, use the urea hydrogen peroxide based product for some more aggressive breakdown. Tilt your head and apply the drops, listen for the bubbling/popping as the solution produces oxygen and breaks down the earwax. Keep your head tilted for a few minutes after.
  
  A stock of paper tissues will come in useful to daub up the overflow.
  
  After a while, use the ear irrigation tool. You need to be fairly forceful depressing the plunger, and the silicone end of the syringe needs to be properly inserted all the way into your ear canal for maximum effect. To get a good angle, use your other arm, reach behind your head and pull your earlobe directly out and away from your head - that should straighten up the ear canal a bit (also works well for inserting earplugs).
  
  I suggest you use warm (not hot) water as it does feel weird to start with. It feels GREAT after a while though, and the bonus of this syringe tool with the channels on it is that you can see the earwax come out.
  
  Don't stop after you see a few flakes, there's probably 10x as much inside your ear which you just can't see. You'll feel it start to come out before you see it. Once you're making headway on flushing it out, just keep going for five or ten minutes. Repeat this process for a week and it should be all out.
  
  
  I followed these steps, along with some reading on the Internet for technique and such, and when I went to my next audiologist's appointment he complimented me that I'd done a much better job than if I'd gone to hospital to get it done. He also recommended I periodically repeat the process to keep the ears clean... Which of course I've not done. I should probably do that.

Otex Express Ear Drops 10ml https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001LK8BRW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nph1CbFHDMP3X


You're welcome 😁👍

There's a product for that

ENT Essentials All Dry Ear Drying Drops, 1 Fluid Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DVO77LG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mbaFDb2743E6K

i've dove with swimmers ear. it wasn't and it wasn't the most fun but it wasn't that big of a deal. i started squirting either 50/50 vinegar and alcohol or auro-dry (they sell it at my grocery store) in both ears, every time i get out of the water, and have had zero problems since.

http://www.amazon.com/Ring-Relief-Homeopathic-0-5-Ounce-Package/dp/B002N5N5DY

Again, never used it. Grain of salt. I think its snake oil.

Yuck!


This is recommended for air travel to relieve pressure. I've heard it works great for ear infections and sinus related pressure, so it might help with travel discomfort.


There's also a this device that puffs air up into the nose that's supposed to be as effective as swallowing.

I just came home from holiday in Mauritius where I did 7 dives. I am an OWD (did 6 dives before) and have had ear problems since day 1.

My tips:

• as soon as your head goes down, equalise
  
• equalise all the was through, every few seconds
  
• tilt your head to the side (what ear you want to equalise > my bad ear is the left one so I‘m always tilted to the left side with my head)
  
• don‘t go down while being vertical, go horizontal as soon as possible (you‘re going down much slower > more time to equalise)
  
• I usually try to swallow and blow together (rarely works but sometimes works for me)
  
• a DM recommended oily eardrops (they contain tea tree oil and help prevent the water going into the ear)
  
• obviously but still: if you can’t equalise, go up a bit
  
• try to equalise your ears while still on land/boat one time, especially if you‘re on your second dive of the day (we usually did a ~45min dive, went back to land, waited 30-45min and went for another ~45min)
  
• massage from right behind the ear downwards to the jaw, help opening up the canals (bit of constant pressure, don‘t go towards your artery but more straight down to the collar bone)
  
• I always move my ears around, massage them, pull at them in every direction right before a dive (looks ridiculous, helps alot)
  
• IDK if you know that but: when you go up, obviously go slowly and DO NOT!!! equalise. Your ears can do it themselves then and you will hear it and for me it hurts alot but when I go up, it‘s much better
  
• say that you have problems with your ears and they should and normally do help you through it. We were in big groups (10people) and so obviously not everybody can buddy up with a DM but I always did. The groups started diving when we were still going down so I didn’t feel stressed and pressured to be quick
  
  Sorry for the long post and you probably know alot but I just saw your post and experience the same problem and just got a few more tips so I thought I‘d share it. :)
  
  [swim seal drops] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/SwimSeal-protection-against-replaces-earplugs/dp/B009P2155I)

I play water polo and get water in my ears every single night.
http://www.amazon.com/Macks-Dry-Clear-Ear-Drying/dp/B00CWFMDYW
I use these and they get the job done pretty well

https://www.amazon.com/Earol-Swim-Tea-Tree-Oil/dp/B017BPAUVA