@glacial, @gorillapaws, and @Everybody: The ears are self-cleaning and cerumen (ear wax) is supposed to be there (like mucus in our noses). Whether you believe in creation or evolution, the body’s systems are there for a reason. The oil is soothing and moisturizing to the sensitive skin, but it is viscous in order to trap dirt, debris and critters to protect the delicate structures.
Using cotton swabs in the ear canal creates more problems than it solves. It damages the cilia that push the wax towards the opening so it can be washed away with a washcloth. It removes the wax and oil, leaving the skin unprotected and dry, and then easily abraded by the cotton fibers of the swab. As the skin heals it itches (as is typical when we are healing from cuts, scrapes and burns), when our ears itch we stick something in there to scratch the itch – thus perpetuating the problem and developing an ongoing cycle.
Like most people, I was raised with my mother using cotton swabs like roto-rooter in my ears, and I hated it; but began doing it regularly myself as I got older. Once I learned that using swabs is bad, I broke myself of the habit – and it wasn’t easy! But now that I don’t use swabs regularly, my ears don’t itch anywhere near as often as they used to.
Some people’s cerumen glands are more active than others – just like some folks have oily skin and others have dry. For them, using drops to soften the wax helps keep the ear canals clear. For those with dry skin, there are oil-based drops available. Many people have ear canals that are smaller than the head of the swab, so the wax gets pushed deeper into the canal beyond where the cilia are, and it becomes impacted. Over time it builds up and dries out and becomes a plug in the ear. Removal can be painful, since the wax becomes sticky and pulls at the skin. I have also seen many eardrum that have been damaged by people using objects to scratch their itchy ears or clean their ears.