Originally Posted by
AxelH
I think it would be better to use salt that doesn't have the silicon anti-caking agent in it. The purpose of the salt is the electrolyte/de-salinization prevention of the vulnerable mucous membranes. Kosher is good (without anti-caking agents) but so is real sea salt, which has the full spectrum of minerals (as long as it isn't from contaminated waters..).
Even more important: the ear candling is one of those trendy, new-age, hair-brained, overpriced schemes to deplete your money and give you an ineffective, possibly injurious product. It's a high candidate for bogus home remedy. The wax you find at the bottom may be the candle's, not yours.
Try a half-and-half solution of warm water and hydrogen peroxide to loosen and foam up the impacted wax deposits, tilting your head the other direction and shaking to allow to drain. It's a very cheap solution so you can do it several times. Then you can really clean it out with carbamide peroxide solution (available at most pharmacies). Or reverse order, I don't know which is better or if it matters. I tend to pick it out after a shower but those two are quite good at cleaning the ears. The hydrogen peroxide is very nice because it foams and bubbles, you can feel it working to dislodge the wax, so you know it's legit.
I like the neti pot, too. I haven't used it much but I do it over the kitchen sink. Just remember, people who scrape hairs off their face directly with extremely sharp objects are also not thought to be engaging in "normal" behavior. Neti pots are grade-school crazy compared to crazy str8 users.