Ear candles are actually long, narrow cones. They look like cotton candy cones, but are narrower. Made of strips of unbleached muslin dipped in beeswax or paraffin, they taper to a rounded tip, with a small opening. The tipped end is designed to fit comfortably into the ear. The cones are available plain, or infused with herbal extracts.
Many users feel the herbal cones have an enhanced therapeutic effect.
The cone is inserted into the ear and lighted, just like a candle. Warm, soothing smoke from the candle flows into the ear and sinuses. This helps soften and dislodge hardened, excess earwax, toxic residue from past infections or medications, and other debris. This debris is drawn out through the ear canal and into the cone during the candling process. Ear candling facilitates natural healing and wax excretion, so that additional fluid and residue may ejected by the ear during the days following the ear candling treatment.