Head phones and ear bud headphones are great for keeping whatever you are listening to in and the rest of the world out. They are also great at collecting ear wax, which is not so wonderful.

Earwax candling, also called candling, coning or auricular candling, involves inserting a specially designed candle into the ear canal. The candle is made of unbleached linen or cotton soaked in beeswax or paraffin, explains Lisa Roazen, M.D.

Earwax buildup can easily block the ear canal and result in uncomfortable ear pressure. A small amount of hydrogen peroxide, or a simple mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water, can usually relieve this condition by breaking up the earwax and allowing the blockage to drain from the ear.

Impacted earwax occurs when wax or cerumen builds up in the ear canal, often as a result of external objects, such as hearing aids, ear plugs or cotton swabs, blocking the ear canal.

Earwax in general is a necessary byproduct of the ears as way to stave off infection and provides a protective shield to the ear from dust, debris and other small particle_temps that might enter into the ear canal. It also helps to maintain the proper acid balance inside the ear. Its technical name is cerumen.

Ear wax serves an important purpose; it protects the ear canal from bugs, dirt, debris and bacteria. In most cases, the ear cleans itself and ear wax causes no symptoms or problems. When ear wax accumulates and blocks the ear canal, coughing, ringing, pain, itching or hearing loss may result.