
Ear Care Products

1.
Olive Oil Ear Drops
Olive oil is absorbed into wax, softening it in the process. This makes ear wax removal much easier. Olive oil is great for maintenance, as any wax that does develop stays soft, making it less likely to harden and get stuck. Also, olive oil keeps skin in the ears soft. Dry skin in the ear canals can cause irritating itchiness! It is fairly inexpensive, and available as drops, or spray - both work just fine. (We prefer spray as its less messy - and worth the slight extra cost in our opinion!) Unless you have ear drum perforations, we'd always recommend using olive oil before your ear wax removal appointment at Newcastle Ear Care.​
2.
Sodium Bicarbonate Ear Drops
Sodium Bicarbonate ear drops are great for confirmed hard, impacted, stubborn wax blockages. We recommend using these drops if Newcastle Ear Care, your GP or other health professional has confirmed a hard wax blockage in your ears. If in doubt - stick to olive oil prior to your ear wax removal appointment. These drops can dry out and irritate the skin in your ear canal if used for more than 1 week, and if there is no/not enough wax for them to act on.


3.
Hydrogen Peroxide Ear Drops
You might be thinking "hydrogen peroxide? In your ears? Isn't that the stuff you bleach hair with?" Well yes, and no. And they're also our thoughts exactly! Hydrogen Peroxide is pretty strong stuff - though the drops suitable for ears (such as 'Otex Express') are a lower concentration than you might bleach your hair with (it bleaches your ear wax though, believe it or not!). These formulas should never be used for more than a couple of days as they can cause irritation in your ears, but they can act fast on very stubborn, hard and uncomfortable wax to aid in ear cleaning. We do not advise using hydrogen peroxide drops unless advised by a professional to do so, as if you do not have large, stubborn blockages of ear wax these drops could cause unnecessary discomfort and inflammation.
4.
Swim Plugs
If you find that swimming, bathing or showers makes you more likely to get ear infections or experience discomfort in your ears then swimming ear plugs may be for you. If you have very narrow or bendy ear canals, an ear blocked with wax, an ear drum perforation, grommet, t-tube or have another ear condition making you susceptible to infection or trapped water you definitely want to avoid getting water in your ears. It is possible to have custom-fit ear plugs made by a private audiologist or sometimes your ENT department, and while these are brilliant they are often costly.
Amazon hosts a wide variety of swim plugs - we have listed a couple here with the best customer reviews! Remember, most swim plugs (even custom made ones) are 'splash-proof' only, meaning you may still get water in your ear if your head is completely submerged.
*Note: we have not tested these ourselves.




5.
Noise Reduction Ear Plugs
There are lots of different ear plugs available on the market, from inexpensive foam ear plugs, to custom-made professional hearing protection plugs. We get lots of people asking "what are the best affordable ear plugs to buy?" - the truth is any hearing protection is better than none. Foam ear plugs are usually fine for those sleeping with a snorer - some prefer silicone ear plugs for a comfier fit. Some of these can feel like they block out too much sound if you want to hear the music at a concert, for example. Check ear plugs for their noise reduction level - listed in decibels (dB). The higher the number, the more sound they block out and the better they protect your hearing when worn correctly.
"Are Loop Earplugs any good?"
LOTS of people ask us about 'Loop' ear plugs - a fast-emerging company with seemingly incessant marketing... Loop make some pretty bold claims on their website about their earwear - some of which we'd take with a pinch of salt (like claims about their ear plugs reducing tinnitus). However they do have lots of different styles of plugs which claim to have different purposes from blocking out all sounds, to just reducing others (like the Loop Experience 2). They even have the Loop Switch plugs which can be altered to occlude more or less of the sound around you while wearing them, all coming in aesthetically pleasing designs. As said before, any hearing protection is better than none, but hearing protection is usually not needed all day every day, and overuse in quieter environments can lead to issues with sound sensitivity.
​
Remember: If you you need hearing protection for work in very noisy environments, with heavy machinery or have noisy hobbies (shooters and music performers, we're looking at you!) then there is no comparison to professional, custom ear protection or ear defenders.
​
If you have extreme sound sensitivity, seek advice from your GP or audiologist. It is not always helpful in the long-run to use ear plugs or defenders in everyday situations for those with sound sensitivity.
As with any purchases, do your own research and make sure any listed products are right for you. We do not sell or endorse these products, and list them here only for your information and ease. We are not affiliated with any of the brands above. We cannot accept responsibility for any ill-affects or problems you experience with Amazon.co.uk or these products. The links above are Amazon affiliate links for which we may receive a very small portion of sales.
Newcastle Ear Care provide ear wax removal and ear cleaning in newcastle, by a registered audiologist. We offer ear wax removal home visits in Newcastle, Northumberland and the surrounding area. Ear wax removal near me. Ear syringing near me.