Ear infections can cause some intense pain, especially for little ones. I love using warm ear oil infused with infection-fighting and pain-relieving botanicals to soothe pain and resolve the infection as fast as possible. You can quickly make a simple and effective DIY ear oil using only garlic and olive oil. And it takes less than 30 minutes from beginning to end!
Simple DIY Ear Oil Recipe
Ingredients:
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
In a small saucepan or double boiler, warm olive oil over low heat. With the flat side of a knife, crush the garlic and remove the papery skin. Add the garlic to the olive oil and let it infuse over low heat for 20 minutes; then strain into a sterile jar. This oil can be kept refrigerated for 2-3 days after which time it should be disposed of and a new batch made.
1-3 drops can be applied to the painful ear canal every 3-6 hours. Warm oil provides better comfort and pain relief than cold oil, but do not apply overly warm or hot ear oil to the ear because this can cause burns to the tympanic membrane. It should be no warmer than body temperature. Warm the bottle of ear oil the same way that you’d warm breast milk or formula. Do not put ear oil into the ear canal if the tympanic membrane is ruptured. Instead, the oil may be rubbed into the skin behind the ear.
Because homemade ear oil can vary in strength, test each batch on a small skin patch before using it in the ears to make sure that it doesn’t cause irritation. This is especially important if you add essential oils (see below). Children over the age of 1 can use this oil as long as they don’t display sensitivity during the patch test.
Optional Additions:
To this simple garlic ear oil, you may add additional anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving herbs. I prefer to add 3 drops of lavender oil, and/or 3 drops of copaiba oil. I also like to add 1 tsp of hypericum oil or arnica oil for optimum pain relief.
Ear infections can cause some intense pain, especially for little ones. I love using warm ear oil infused with infection-fighting and pain-relieving botanicals to soothe pain and resolve the infection as fast as possible.
Summary
Ear infections are common in little ones. All you need to make a fast and effective DIY ear oil are garlic and olive oil. Arnica or hypericum infused oils and/or essential oils of lavender and copaiba can help boost the pain-relieving and infection-fighting abilities of this DIY ear oil. Always ensure that essential oils are well diluted. A patch test prior to use in the ears will determine if the oil causes irritation. Never use ear oil in an ear with a perforated eardrum. Instead, the oil can be gently rubbed into the skin behind the ear.
To learn more about treating ear infections, read: Natural Treatments For Ear Infections – Dr. Green Mom and How To Prevent & Treat Swimmer’s Ear – Dr. Green Mom.
References:
Sarrell, E. M., Mandelberg, A., & Cohen, H. A. (2001). Efficacy of naturopathic extracts in the management of ear pain associated with acute otitis media. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 155(7), 796–799. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.155.7.796
Sarrell, E. M., Cohen, H. A., & Kahan, E. (2003). Naturopathic treatment for ear pain in children. Pediatrics, 111(5 Pt 1), e574–e579. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.111.5.e574
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