Why Do My Ears Itch When I Wear Earbuds?

Finally, you were able to purchase the earbuds you had always desired. You are enjoying your music and all that.

But for a while now, your ears have been itching.

It can be unpleasant to listen to music or watch a movie if your ears begin to itch when you’re wearing ear buds.  There are numerous reasons why your ears may itch when you wear ear buds.

Despite the fact that I am not a medical professional, in today’s blog, I am going to address all the possibilities that might cause your ears to itch from the earbuds.

The Causes of Itchy Ears When Wearing Earbuds

You must identify the root cause of the itching and use the proper remedy to stop it.

The most typical treatments include changing the earphones, lubricating the skin to prevent dryness, and cleaning your ears and earbuds to prevent wax build-up.

Just note that you might need to get medical assistance for other underlying causes.

The Earbuds Size

Let’s start with the very first thing that might play a role not only in your ears itching but the overall comfort of your years.

This is one of the most common reasons why people experience discomfort in their ears. If the earbuds that you bought don’t fit your ears right, they will not only cause discomfort but also itchiness.

I see a lot of people buying earbuds just because of their brand and how well known they are, not caring if they will fit their ears well.

Please, prior to purchasing a set of earbuds, make sure they will fit in your ears since different people have different ear sizes.

Soiled Earbuds

One of the other reasons why your ears are itchy can be the dirt on your earbuds.

We all know that tons of people out there don’t even bother to clean their earbuds, which is not a good thing at all.

The built-up dirt on the earbuds can really cause itchy ears. What’s worse is when you share them with other people.

Just imagine how bad it is to carry on the dirt from person to person. Different people have different ear wax/microbes and all that.

You pretty much get the idea of what I am talking about, so let’s not get too deep.

Placing The Earbuds To Deep

As stupid as it sounds, it is true.

Another reason that might irritate your ears to the point for them to itch is placing your earbuds too deep.

I’ve seen a lot of people trying to isolate the noise outside and to hear their earbuds at maximum volume. They put the earbuds too deep in their ears.

What it does is that it stresses the ears and irritates them.

Try to get just the right fit and don’t put them in too deep since it can actually even harm your hearing.

A wrong fit of earbuds will sure put pressure on your outer ear.

Long Usage of Earbuds

I am well aware that earbuds have their benefits; they help us relax, de-stress, carry on with daily activities, and so on.

However, we are all aware that “abusing” a thing for too long will start to cause side effects. That’s the case with earbuds too.

Overusing your earbuds for extended periods of time will cause great discomfort and itching in your ears.

Make sure you use your earbuds sparingly, or at the very least, only when you need them.

Ear Infection

Ear infections are quite a common thing, no matter if you wear earbuds or not.

However, I believe that using earbuds will “feed” the ear infection even more.

Itchy ears are a primary symptom of an ear infection, even more, obvious if ear pain follows up.

For a lot of reasons, fungal and bacterial ear infections can be caused. We should not think that it is specifically caused by our earbuds, but as I said, the dirt on our earbuds sure plays a role in it.

To relieve the itchiness try some antibiotics like ear drops. When it comes to ear infections or ear pain, there are a lot of ear drops that will help in this aspect.

Allergies

People frequently experience an allergic reaction to earbuds. Most likely, the earphones’ construction material is to blame.

An allergic reaction frequently causes the lining of the ear canal and the passageway connecting the throat to the ear to inflame, which makes the area around your ear canals extremely itchy.

Luckily, there are earphones available that are constructed from hypoallergenic substances like silicone or rubber, among others.

Ear Wax

We all know that our ears naturally produce wax, and that is a good thing. Wax helps in self-cleaning the ears.

So with that being said, we understand that wax is a good thing that should always be present in our ears, right?

The thing here is that if you wear your earbuds for a lengthy period of time, the wax cannot get out naturally or accumulate inside the ears since it is blocked by the earbuds, and as a result, the ears will get “stressed” and get itchy. So make sure you wash away the ear wax from your outer ear when you take a bath.

Skin Conditions

Many people have skin conditions, similar to allergies, which can become worse when wearing earbuds.

Wearing earphones, especially for an extended period of time, will significantly increase the itchy, irritating rash that people with psoriasis, eczema, and contact dermatitis experience around their ears.

Remove the earbuds and turn them to the opposite side every hour to give your ears a break, this way you will ease the skin irritations.

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Final Words

So we have arrived at the end of the blog. I am sure that I have mentioned at least the most important and most possible ways why your ears can get itchy.

I’ve said this many times, headphones sure have a positive impact on our lives. They can change our moods all round and benefit us in many ways, be it at work, working out, and so on. Still, all this doesn’t change the fact that they also come with drawbacks.

The main side effect that I think that headphones cause is hearing loss. When you think of it, hearing loss is not even comparable to itchy ears. Itchy ears will go away in the meantime, but will your hearing come back?

So with all that being said, please take care of your ears; clean them, clean your earbuds, disinfect them, and do all those things that will keep them in good condition. Most importantly, don’t overuse your headphones.

But yeah as I mentioned above make sure you clean your ears too as much as you clean your earbuds.

Further Reading

Do you seek comfort and sound quality at the same time? Check out a comparison between Skullcandy Sesh and Skullcandy Sesh Evo if you insist on wearing earbuds.

To avoid your ears from itching, it would be better to move to headphones. Consider Philips SHP9500 and SHP9600, or Logitech G935 and G933. 

These Dolby Atmos system headphones are about to blow your mind. You should definitely check this out.