Ear Candles

Are ear candles new to anyone but me? Apparently they've been around for a really, really long time but I heard of them for the first time last week. A friend of ours came over for small group and told us how a woman who works for him was talking about how great they were so he went to the health food store, bought a couple and tried them. He's now sold on them.

The process sounded so interesting I decided I just had to try it. Last weekend we stopped at the health food store to buy some. They must be highly scrutinized or something because you have to ask for them and they are behind the counter. I was amused. Not horribly expensive, mind you, just under tight security.

Then, following the instructions of our friend, we took a plate, cut a hole it in so if anything dripped or fell off, the face is protected. Another friend told us you're supposed to use tin or metal but all I had was a styrofoam plate and I didn't want to go get anything else (or wait actually) so we went with it. It's kind of weird - you stick this long thing in your ear, light the end on fire, and then it draws the gunk out of your ear. I could hear it crackling and an occasional whoosh like a big wind. It was all very strange--I mean, really, putting something in your head and lighting it on fire?

It wasn't until the second one was sticking out of my ear, on fire, that I realized what a good idea a tin plate would have been. No embers ever fell on the plate but I was suddenly aware that if one did, not only would I have this flaming candle sticking out of my ear, but I'd also have a fiery plate on my head.

I made the comment to Steve and he casually said "no, it's styrofoam. It won't be on fire on your face, it will just melt to it." Oh, silly me. Nothing to be concerned about after all. Freak.

At the end of it, sure enough, there was gunk in the bottom. A little creepy actually. Steve is skeptical that it's actually ear wax. He thinks it's wax from the ear candle (which isn't your typical candle texture). So, now I have to buy one to burn while not in an ear so we can see if it's really all it's cracked up to be. I'm sure you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting to hear the results.

Anyway, weird, random stuff we did this past week.