It kind of freaked me out after using this...I'd forgotten that things like sheets rustle when you move in them at night and the that carpet makes a sound when you step on it with bare feet. This device is awesome...takes a lot of work (i.e. you have to do it many times and give some time in between if you're like me) but it's so worth it and better than pretty much anything outside a professional doctor's office. Bless whoever came up with the design. Just keep doing it until you start getting out gobs of wax. You need to press it hard. The design means you can put it in as far as it'll go and press down with all your might and you won't hurt yourself...the water squirts out the sides of the tip as shown...a lot nicer than the ball type designs. Didn't give me a pressure headache either. Definitely do it near a sink...you'll be using a lot of water and it can get messy. Also, I waited very eagerly for this for almost a week...when it came and I used it, I was singing its praises very loudly. So my boyfriend ran to CVS (where I had looked but not found anything like this) and returned with the identical item in different packaging. He paid only about $2 more and didn't have to wait. Just FYI. No matter where you buy this though if you or someone you know has wax issues, this is SOOO worth it. Really works on the very oily wax too. This is a quality of life issue...knowing now how well it works and how much annoyance, pain, and bad hearing it has corrected, I'd say the benefit gained was worth hundreds of dollars (how much I would have paid a doctor for this result). Not that I'd pay that when it's available for this price, but still :) Update on 3/11/2013: I don't use it as often as I should - every 2-3 months when my ears start feeling plugged again...and every time it continues to amaze me! So yeah, still HIGHLY recommended. Update on 5/8/2014: Same as previous update - every time I use this, I wonder why I waited so long since the last time. It's still amazing and seems so miraculous afterward. Device is easy to clean and doesn't get gross. Read more
I have successfully applied this type of product for years to remove excessive ear wax. I have found it to be easy and comfortable to use as well as safe and effective. After tiring of excess, impacted ear wax causing hearing impairment, I contacted my otolaryngologist to have my accumulated wax removed and then began a monthly regimen applying my ear irrigation syringe to maintain wax-free ear canals (I asked this doctor if he believed that the syringe system was safe, and he grudgingly acknowledged that it was; but you should always consult your own physician first before use and follow all directives accompanying the product). I perform my irrigation routine monthly during a shower, drawing warm water directly from the showerhead, finding this the most convenient method, but you will want to establish your own routine and frequency after reading all directions enclosed with the product. Bear in mind that the rubbery material on the plunger will harden over time and use, requiring syringe replacement. But you may find like me that you can enjoy years of service per syringe before replacement is required. In the meantime, you will probably benefit from better hearing. I gladly include this item in my layperson's medical bag. Can no longer imagine being without it. I offer a solid recommendation. Read more
I've had problems with earwax for years, and it seems to get worse as I get older and the wax inexplicably gets softer. Two or three times a year, the wax will totally block my ear canals or stick en masse to my eardrums, and only syringing will get the wax blockages out so I can hear properly again. For the last 7 or 8 years, I've used a syringe by an independent producer / Internet seller that you may have already encountered if you've stumbled across my humble review here. Said seller's product has a 90-degree angled tip and is designed for self-use, to be used in the shower. It's worked decently, but the nozzle cracked within a year of my original purchase, and finally fractured beyond repair after several "patch jobs" over the years by yours truly. I paid $50 for this syringe years ago, and thought that was bad enough; the new syringes from the same seller are $75 shipped apiece. I do like to support independent businesses, but that's just way too much money for a buck's worth of machine-molded plastic. So I gambled on this straight syringe for a tiny fraction of that price. I am happy to report that it works just about as well, maybe even better, than the syringe I thought was the "only game in town" for self-use. I also found it faster to use, since I was filling it from a glass and not the showerhead. In about five minutes / ten fill-squirt cycles, I was able to remove a ridiculous blockage that has resisted all reasonable efforts to extract it for a week now (including painful, prolonged attacks with a curette from my wife the nurse). My biggest complaint about this syringe: It would be nice if it would hold more than 25ccs of liquid. This would be a little more difficult to manage in self-use, but more prolonged blasts are often useful to knock out the stuff that's really stuck. This is a far more effective tool for serious wax removal than the drops, and it's even cheaper than a bottle of drops. I don't understand why the big drugstores aren't carrying these on the shelves yet. I plan to order two or three more. Read more
