If you’ve been using cotton buds to clean your ears, it’s time to reconsider. Many of us grew up thinking that using cotton buds (or Q-tips) was the best way to clean our ears. After all ...

Hearing experts have warned against the popular habit of poking ears with a cotton bud - as the tool could damage the eardrum and even trigger tinnitus. Specialists say the small stick often ends ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

You know they do more harm than good – after all, NICE wrote special guidelines to highlight their risks – yet, when it comes to cotton buds (and bud headphones) and, more precisely ...

As they are composed largely of the plastic polypropylene, cotton buds are a part of the wider plastic pollution problem. The Marine Conservation Society have described cotton buds as one of the ...

From cotton buds to ear sprays, there are various products available for removing ear wax. However, an expert warns that "common" ear cleaning methods could do more harm than good. “Protecting ...

Cotton buds are widely available in every home for cleaning ears, but many people are shocked to discover that they might have a major impact on their hearing. Cotton buds could give off a fleeting ...

Cotton buds are a common consumer product that we all use after a shower. However, experts suggest that this practice of using them to clean your ears may do more harm than good. While earbuds ...

It can be tempting to prod the ears in a bid to shift earwax. But popular methods of dislodging it — cotton buds, fingers and candling — may cause more harm than good, according to NHS GP ...

We've all been there, reaching for a cotton bud to give our ears a quick clean. But according to ITV's Dr Amir Khan, we should be avoiding this seemingly harmless habit. In a frank Instagram video ...

This month, Environment Secretary Michael Gove confirmed a ban on plastic-stemmed cotton buds in England, in addition to plastic straws and drink stirrers. This comes as it’s estimated that 1.8 ...