13 Effective Home Remedies For Earache
Dr. Millie Lytle has 8 years of experience in naturopathic medicine, is a member of the New York Association of Naturopathic Physicians (NYANP), and sits on the Medical Advisory Board for the School of Applied Functional Medicine. She is the founder of Nat Med Coach, offering a weekly Virtual Health Club, as well as concierge programs with integrative teams of Licensed Naturopathic Doctors and Certified Functional Health Coaches to help her patients.
Read full bio of Dr. Millie Lytle
Kushneet holds a postgraduate degree in biotechnology from Kingston University, London, and is an ISSA Certified Specialist in Fitness & Nutrition with 2 years of experience. Her scientific background, coupled with her passion for writing, propelled her towards content writing.
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You wake up in the morning with a piercing earache, and all you want is silence and a quick fix. A leaking faucet turns into your worst enemy. Even a mild earache can leave you writhing in pain.The most common causes of earache include ear wax build-up and ear infection and, many a time, it is triggered by infections that may require antibiotic therapy. However, there are some home remedies for earache that actually unclog your ears, ease the infection, and eliminate the pain. Here are 15 such simple yet effective home remedies for you.
In This Article
Home Remedies For Earache (Ear Pain)
1. Breast Milk For Earache
You Will Need
- Fresh breast milk
- Dropper
What You Have To Do
- Drip a few drops of the breast milk in the affected ear carefully.
- Let it sit for five to seven minutes and then drain out the excess.
How Often You Should Do This
Repeat this twice or thrice a day.
Why This Works
Breast milk contains immunoglobulins, enzymes and protein components that fight infection (1).
2. Colloidal Silver To Get Rid Of Ear Pain
You Will Need
- Colloidal silver
- Dropper
What You Have To Do
Using the dropper, put two to three drops of the colloidal silver liquid in the affected ear.
How Often You Should Do This
Repeat this once or twice a day.
Why This Works
Colloidal silver is a broad range antibiotic that effectively kills bacteria, fungi, and other pathogens that can cause the ear infection and the excruciating ear pain (2).
3. Coconut Oil For Earache
You Will Need
- Virgin coconut oil
- Dropper
- Cotton ball
What You Have To Do
- Warm the oil and put a few drops in the affected ear and cover with the cotton ball.
- Open and close the jaw a few times so that the oil reaches all corners inside the ear and relieves the pain.
- Remove the cotton ball and excess oil after 10 to 15 minutes.
How Often You Should Do This
You can repeat this twice a day.
Why This Works
Apart from relieving the pain and the swelling, coconut oil contains lauric acids, which give this oil its antimicrobial properties (3, 4). This makes coconut oil a versatile home remedy for earache.
4. Hydrogen Peroxide For Ear Pain Relief
You Will Need
- 3% hydrogen peroxide
- Dropper
- Ear plug
- Ear swabs
What You Have To Do
- Instill a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ear with the dropper and keep your canal closed with an ear plug for a few minutes.
- Remove the plug and use ear swabs to clean the debris.
How Often You Should Do This
Repeat this after a few hours, if required.
Why This Works
Hydrogen peroxide has cerumenolytic activity, which means it helps to disintegrate the accumulated wax and softens it, making it easier to remove (5). This, in turn, helps reduce earache.
5. Castor Oil For Earache
You Will Need
- Castor oil
- Dropper
- Cotton ball
What You Have To Do
- Lightly warm up the castor oil and put a few drops in the affected ear.
- Close the ear with the cotton ball and let the oil stay in for a few minutes.
- After this, remove the cotton ball and clean out the debris and excess oil.
How Often You Should Do This
Use this remedy twice a day until the earache goes away.
Why This Works
Castor oil is known to fasten the healing process and will help in relieving ear pain (6). It is also antifungal in nature (7).
6. Lavender Oil For Earache
You Will Need
- Lavender oil
- Cotton ball
What You Have To Do
- Pour two to three drops of lavender oil on the cotton ball and place it at the opening of the ear.
- Also, apply a drop of this essential oil on the outer ear and massage for a minute.
How Often You Should Do This
Do this twice a day.
Why This Works
Lavender oil is extremely soothing for the nerves and will relieve the ear pain that has made life hell for you. It can help treat the infection as it has antibacterial and antifungal properties (8).
7. Mineral Oil For Earache
You Will Need
Mineral oil
What You Have To Do
Put a drop or two of this oil into both the ears before hitting the swimming pool the next time.
How Often You Should Do This
Use this remedy as and when required.
Why This Works
This is an excellent remedy for ear pain from Swimmer’s ears condition. Excess water in the ear canal can cause pain and irritation. By putting oil before entering the water, you will prevent the water from getting lodged in between the crooks and crevices of your inner ears.
8. Oregano Oil For Earache
You Will Need
- 1 part oregano oil
- 1 part olive oil
What You Have To Do
- Mix the oils together and apply a drop or two on the outer ear area.
- Massage down the neck to the back of the ear, draining the lymph.
How Often You Should Do This
Reapply every few hours.
Why This Works
Oregano oil, with its active constituent carvacrol, is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic in nature (9, 10).
Caution
Do not put oregano oil into the ear.
9. Peppermint Oil For Earache Relief
You Will Need
- A handful of peppermint leaves
- ½ cup olive oil
What You Have To Do
- Crush the peppermint leaves and heat up the olive oil.
- Steep the crushed peppermint leaves in the warm olive oil for a couple of minutes and strain.
- Use this infusion by putting two drops of it into the affected to heal your earache.
How Often You Should Do This
Do this twice a day.
Why This Works
Peppermint helps in reducing throbbing pain in the ear. It also reduces any irritation and itching that may be present (11).
10. Olive Oil For Earache
You Will Need
- Virgin olive oil
- Cotton swab
What You Have To Do
- Warm up the olive oil. Tilt your head such that the affected ear is facing the ceiling. Pour two to three drops of the warm oil into the affected ear.
- Stay in that position for about five minutes and keep your head upright.
- Clean any excess oil and other debris that come out of the ear with the cotton swab.
You can also dip a Q-tip in olive oil and rub it inside the ear.
How Often You Should Do This
Repeat this twice a day.
Why This Works
Olive oil with herbal additives is widely used as a remedy for earache. However, very few know that this oil alone can be used to lubricate your ear and prevent infections (12). It also reduces swelling (13).
11. Apple Cider Vinegar To Get Rid Of Earache
You Will Need
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dropper
What You Have To Do
You can introduce a few drops of ACV into the ear canal using the dropper. Let it air-dry.
How Often You Should Do This
Repeat this every 12 hours until the earache subsides.
Why This Works
Apple cider vinegar has a lot of anti-inflammatory ingredients that help to combat ear infections and reduce ear pain (14).
12. Ginger For Earache
You Will Need
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Dropper
What You Have To Do
- Grate fresh ginger root and add it to the olive oil. Let the ginger sit in the oil for about 10 minutes.
- Now, using the dropper, add two drops of this into the ear canal.
How Often You Should Do This
Repeat twice a day.
Why This Works
The gingerols present in ginger possess anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that will help to get rid of the earache (15).
13. Garlic Oil To Prevent Ear Ache
You Will Need
- 5 garlic cloves
- ½ cup olive oil
- 20 drops eucalyptus oil
What You Have To Do
- Crush the garlic cloves and heat them with the olive oil and eucalyptus oil.
- Instill a few drops of this infusion in the affected to get rid of the infection in no time.
Alternatively, you can prepare an infusion of minced garlic and sesame oil for quick relief from earache.
How Often You Should Do This
Drip this mixture into the affected ear twice a day.
Why This Works
Garlic oil is packed with antibacterial and antiviral properties that will deliver a lethal blow to your earache (16).
[ Read: Benefits Of Garlic Oil For Health ]
Quite a few of the remedies listed above have been used for decades to deal with earache. You must have heard of some of them from your grandmother as well. Use them and get relief from the ear pain in a safe and easy way.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you know if you have an ear infection?
When the ear canal is infected, it usually presents itself in the form of a piercing or consistent pain in the affected ear. The eardrum may rupture and drain fluid. You may experience an incessant buzzing sound, nausea, pus-like drainage, a persistent feeling of pressure inside the ear, and even hearing loss.
What causes earaches?
The most common causes of earache include ear wax build-up and ear infection. Other causes are listed below:
- Sinus infections
- Sore throat
- Tonsillitis
- A foreign object in the ear
- Tooth infection
- Ear injury
- Soap or water inside the ear canal
- Inflammatory foods
- Children under 5 are more susceptible to ear infections due to the horizontal positioning of the eustachian tube.
A more serious cause of earache can be arthritis of the jaw.
How long do earaches last?
Depending on the cause of the earache, it can take any time between three to 15 days for the earache to subside. It is always advisable to use simple home remedies to get quick relief, especially when the ear pain is due an infection.
These are simple, easy, and absolutely inexpensive remedies for ear pain that miraculously treat even acute cases of earaches. Be sure not to administer anything too hot in your ears, lest you may hurt your drums! And, as usual, consult a specialist in case the problem persists.
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Read full bio of Dr. Millie Lytle
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