cleaning your ears with candles (actualy they are wax impregnated rolled up paper cones) not only doesn't work but can actualy be bad for you. if you ask some fucking hippies, they'll tell you the heat from the candle cone melts the wax in your ear and creates a vacume that sucks the cerumen and ear wax out. can you imagine the amount of vacume that would be required to suck wax up (your head is tilted to the side) and out of your ear? it would require so much that if it did produce that much it would suck out your ear drum. not to mention, last i checked hot air rises so that candle is going to need to generate some serious ambiant heat to get enough warmth down in your ear to do any melting.

of course, the labels on any ear candles you may find for sale make much less wild ass claims. they claim:

"The effect of ear candling is soothing and relaxing, allowing the body to restore its normal healthy functions. Warmth and smoke from the candle helps soothe the ear and soften old impacted earwax. Most people require 2-4 candles per ear per session, which is usually performed 3-6 times a year or as often as one prefers."

whatever! they sell these things for around $5 a pac and up. nothing makes me sicker than greedy hippies.

let's look what happened when some people decided to study it's effects:

Ear candles--efficacy and safety.
Seely DR, Quigley SM, Langman AW
Spokane Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic, WA 99204, USA.
Ear candles are a popular and inexpensive alternative health treatment advocated for cerumen removal. A hollow candle is burned with one end in the ear canal with the intent of creating negative pressure and drawing cerumen from the ear.
If effective, significant savings could result from the use of ear candles. This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of this alternative method for cerumen management.
Tympanometric measurements in an ear canal model demonstrated that ear candles do not produce negative pressure. A limited clinical trial (eight ears) showed no removal of cerumen from the external auditory canal. Candle wax was actually deposited in some. A survey of 122 otolaryngologists identified 21 ear injuries resulting from ear candle use. Ear candles have no benefit in the management of cerumen and may result in serious injury.

Hope you enjoy the info.