The Ear Candling Process
1. Ear Candles
2. Scissors, for cutting the burning ash off candle as it burns
3. Bowl of water, for putting out hot ashes
4. Aluminum pan, with hole for the candle to fit through
5. Matches or lighter, for lighting ear candles
6. Pillow, for person being candled to lay head on
7. Fire retardant cover, for person, pillow, and surface person is laying on
8. Lotion, if face massage is to be performed
9. Baggies, for candle debris and earwax to be disposed
10. A friend to watch the candle and keep the person being treated company (recommended!)
Make sure you have everything ready before you begin candling, for the process needs your focused attention and can be dangerous for the person being candled.
The Ear Candling Procedure
1. The person to be treated lies on his or her side on a bed, couch, massage table or the floor with the ear facing up. Place a pillow under the head.
2. Cover the head and shoulder with a fire retardant sheet or fabric. Fire retardant spray can be bought at hardware stores and can be sprayed on most materials for effective protection. If no fire retardant materials are available, use moist towels for protection.
3. Put ear candle through the hole at the center of the aluminum pan, and place the narrow end of the candle into the ear canal. It does not have to be pushed in far; just a snug seal needs to be formed in the opening of the ear. Have the person being candled hold the candle in the position that is most comfortable if you cannot find this yourself. Remember not to tilt the candle, or push it in a way that closes the end of it or causes it to be blocked from creating the vacuuming effect.
4. Light the candle. After it is lit, watch to make sure no smoke escapes form the bottom of the candle in the ear. If there is smoke, reset the candle and recreate the seal. You can pull on the ear, turn the candle, or tilt the candle. Each person’s ear is unique, and has different ways in which it folds. If the smoke does not stop escaping from the bottom of the candle, stop and start over again.
5. If you plan on doing a face massage, begin this now while the candle is burning. (Directions for face massage are at the end of these directions for candling.)
6. At the 1” to 11/2” mark, once the candle has burned this far, lift the bowl of water up to the candle and cut the ashes off, just above the flame, into the bowl of water. Don’t move the candle. Keep repeating this process down to the 4” mark. Never let the candle burn down more than 4” away from the person’s ear, or earwax that has already been removed may drip back down into the ear canal.
7. As the process of the candling takes place, the person should hear crackling sounds. If not, the candle is not positioned correctly. Adjust the candle if needed. If there is still no crackling sound, the candle may be blocked with wax, so check it by pulling it out of the person’s ear gently.
8. At the 4” mark from the ear, pull the candle out of the ear, holding the aluminum pan as you do so, and pull both away from the person being candled. Move both over to the bowl of water, then take the candle out of the aluminum pan and douse the flame in the water.
9. Cut the burnt part off the candle and open up the remaining part of the candle so you can see exactly what has been removed from the ear canal. There should be earwax and dry flaky wax in at least the first inch or two of the candle. Light brown or yellowish dry flaky wax is from the candle itself. Oily darker wax is from the ear. White powdery wax may be yeast.
10. Most people do not get a lot of earwax with one candle, so you may need to repeat these steps with two or three more candles to get maximum results. The first candle often just gets things going, but the next two or three get the true infections or debris out. Start the next candle right away. Do not use more than 4 candles in one day per ear. It may take repeated candling over a period of two or more weeks to get the true results if the condition is chronic.
11. When finished with the first ear, have the person turn over and do the other.
12. All debris from ear candling must be thrown away in a sanitary fashion in order to avoid re-introducing viruses, infections, fungus and other materials that may be in the earwax that was removed.
Face Massage
There are two techniques for the face massage in the fingers. There is rubbing gently with thumb or forefingers, or finger-walking with the middle and index fingers. Always move toward the ear. The massage can help move debris and infections in the sinus passageways.3 paths of movement for the Face Massage
1. Start above the beginning of the eyebrow (above the nose) and move smoothly outward and down toward the ear, crossing the bottom edge of the temple.
2. Start at the top of the eyebrow above the nose and move to the cheekbone, then back toward the nose, crossing above the cheekbone, then move around the bottom of the cheekbone and cross over back to the ear.
3. Start at the chin and move up the jaw line toward the ear. Use lotion or oil to do the face massage.