It may have a bad rep for seeming unclean or unwanted, but earwax production is a natural, normal and beneficial human function. Earwax is important not only for the health and protection of your ears, but the color of your earwax can also be a useful indicator of your physical health. Read on to learn more about earwax color meanings and how to keep your ears clean and healthy.
Earwax, or cerumen, is a naturally occurring substance produced by glands in the ear canal—the tube-like section that runs between the outer ear and the ear drum. Cerumen is made up of a mixture of secretions from the oil and sweat glands of the ears, as well as dead skin cells from the ear. This waxy material plays several important roles for the ear, including moisturizing the ear canal to prevent scratches and infections, creating a protective barrier against dirt and debris, and working to prevent bacteria growth in the ear.
The color of your earwax can offer helpful insight into what’s happening inside your ears and the health of your ears. Earwax can range in color from light amber to black, but commonly presents as amber-orange to light brown. By understanding earwax color meanings, you can better understand how to care for your ears and when to seek medical assistance.
These earwax colors indicate normal earwax production and ear health.
Recently produced, fresh earwax
Healthy earwax, not a cause for concern.
Slightly older earwax with some debris
Doing its job, not a cause for concern.
Older earwax that has collected more dust and debris
Normal color range, not a cause for concern.
If you notice that you have green earwax, this is usually a sign of an ear infection. This color of earwax could be a symptom of an ear canal or middle ear infection, especially if the green cerumen comes with an unpleasant smell.
Middle ear infections, which are often the result of allergies, colds or sinus infections, generally resolve themselves and the green earwax should clear as the infection ends. If your ear infection and the related green earwax persists, schedule an appointment with your primary care physician to discuss your symptoms.
If you are experiencing black earwax, it is a sign that you have earwax buildup—the result of the production of too much earwax, improper ear-cleaning techniques or the repeated use of foreign objects like hearing aids or headphones in the ears—or the ear isn’t naturally removing earwax correctly. While the color may seem alarming, the dark hue is the result of the age of the earwax and simply means that the earwax has dried out during its time in the ear canal.
Black earwax is often not a major health concern and can be solved through at-home treatments, unless you are also experiencing other symptoms such as dizziness, pain, other types of ear discharge or difficulty hearing. If your earwax is affecting your hearing, schedule an appointment with your hearing care professional, who can examine your ears, advise you on earwax removal and address any underlying issues that may be causing the black earwax.
Just as color can be a prime indicator of your ear’s health, the same is true of the texture of your earwax. Earwax texture changes as the wax ages and may also be affected by your age and genetics.
Flaky earwax, as long as it is within the color ranges of off-white to brown, is considered normal and healthy cerumen. Ancestry can affect the texture and color of earwax. A 2006 study found that people with East and South Asian descent and Indigenous Americans are more likely to experience flaky, light-colored earwax as a result of the recessive ABCC11 gene. Flaky earwax may also be a sign of the earwax’s age and indicate that it is older.
This type of earwax could also be a sign of a skin condition such as eczema or psoriasis. These conditions can cause the skin on the inside of the ear to flake and produce earwax containing additional dead skin cells.
If you’ve experienced a significant change in the texture of your earwax and wondered “Why is my earwax runny?”, you may have a type of ear discharge other than just earwax. Following swimming or showering, your natural earwax production can become watered down as it exits the body. This is normal and not cause for concern. However, if you notice more watery fluids leaving your ears, this may be a sign of a middle or outer ear infection or trauma to the head.
Seek medical attention if you notice that your ear discharge is white, yellow or bloody, or if you’ve experienced ear discharge for multiple days at a time. Tell your doctor if you have any accompanying symptoms, such as pain in the ears, loss of hearing, fever or if you’ve recently experienced a head injury.
Soft earwax is a normal form of earwax. Similarly to flaky earwax, it can relate to your genetic makeup, as people with European or African descent are more likely to have softer and stickier earwax. This type of earwax can also be an indicator of newer earwax that hasn’t been in the ear long enough to dry out and become flaky.
Softer earwax doesn’t often indicate any problems in the ears, but if you notice changes in your hearing, you may be experiencing a soft earwax buildup. To treat this condition, you may clean your ears at home using safe ear-cleaning techniques or schedule an appointment with your hearing care professional for more extreme cases.
Hard earwax is often black earwax—both characteristics result from earwax being built up in the ear canal for longer periods of time. Whether it’s the result of earwax overproduction, slow movement of earwax out of the ears or compacted earwax due to improper use of cotton swabs, earwax hardens with time and can create blockages. Hardened earwax is especially common later in life, as earwax tends to become harder and less mobile with age, and older adults are more likely to encounter problems with too much earwax.
Buildups of hard earwax may happen slowly over time and is a normal part of life, especially if you regularly wear hearing aids or in-ear headphones. In most cases, hard earwax can be removed with safe, at-home cleaning methods, but if you are also experiencing hearing loss, ear discomfort or dizziness, schedule an appointment with your doctor or hearing care professional to remove any earwax blockages.
Earwax plays an important role in the health of the ears and in most cases, doesn’t need to be removed at all. In fact, regularly removing earwax can cause your earwax production to go into overdrive. However, if you do find that earwax is interfering with your ability to hear or you notice excessive earwax leaving the ears, consider some simple, safe home remedies. Below, you’ll find two ideas of how to clean your ears at home.
Always consult your doctor or hearing care provider before attempting any home remedies, especially if you wear hearing aids.
If you are unsure of how to remove earwax or are experiencing stubborn blockages, the best way to get your ears cleaned is to have a doctor handle it for you. They will be able to correctly and safely clean your ears and remove any wax without damaging your ears. But exactly how do doctors clean out earwax?
Your doctor may use suction to clean earwax from ears. This procedure, known as micro suction, involves using a small, gentle vacuum device to remove the wax. It is safe, quick, and effective.
Doctors sometimes use ear irrigation, or flushing, to remove earwax. This involves gently flushing the ear canal with water or a saline solution to dislodge and remove the wax. This method can be effective, but it's typically done with care to avoid causing discomfort or damage to the ear.
To diagnose impacted earwax, or an earwax buildup in the ear canal, a physician or hearing care professional must look inside your ears. While you can’t examine yourself for impacted earwax, you can take note of symptoms such as difficulty hearing, dizziness or a feeling of fullness in the ears may be signs of impacted earwax.
Hearing aids, especially in-the-canal styles of hearing aids, can block the natural passage of earwax out of the ear. In some cases, the blockage can cause the ear canal to produce even more wax, leading some hearing aid wearers to experience more earwax after getting hearing aids.
To prevent earwax from disrupting your hearing or damaging the delicate technology of your hearing aids, it’s important to establish a regular cleaning routine for your hearing aids. Each night, wipe down your hearing aids with a soft, dry cloth. Using a pick and brush, remove excess wax particles on your devices. Be sure to focus on cleaning the pieces of the device that sit in the ear, such as the earmolds or domes. This process is easier when the wax is dry. If wax remains on the device, schedule an appointment with your hearing care professional to have them deep-clean your devices or repair any damaged pieces.
If you’ve noticed significant changes in the color or texture of your earwax for multiple days at a time, it may be time to call a doctor. These changes may indicate disruptions to your hearing or physical health. Communicate any additional symptoms you are experiencing, especially any pain, fevers or changes to your hearing. Your doctor will be able to perform examinations of your ears, determine the exact earwax color meaning and suggest steps to address these changes in the color of your earwax.
