Most children give little thought to taking care of their ears. However, as a man, you come to realize sooner or later that proper ear care is a must. If you take care of your ears, they will give you a lifetime of audio enjoyment. If you neglect them, they can turn into a nightmare. In order to ensure that your hearing stays excellent as you age, use the following men’s guide to ear care.

1. Noise Protection

One of the most crucial parts of proper ear care is protecting your ears from loud noises. Anytime that you are exposed to sounds louder than 85 decibels, you are putting your hearing at risk. If you have a job where loud noises over 85 decibels are common, then you need to wear ear protection.

2. Dealing with Earwax

The first thing you need to know about earwax is that it is perfectly natural. Earwax is actually good for your ears as it protects your ears from airborne particles. While you need earwax inside your ears for protection, you do not want earwax to be visible. All the wax you can see has already done its job. The best way to clean earwax is to use alcohol. A wet wipe or a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol are both good tools for removing wax from your ears. Just be sure to keep cotton swabs outside your ear canal to avoid puncturing your eardrum.

3. Trimming Your Ear Hair

A sad day in a man’s life is when he realizes that he needs to start grooming his ear hair. Like earwax, hair in the ears is designed for protection from airborne particles. If you do not take care of it, ear hair can grow out of control. It is a good idea to get an ear and nose trimmer to keep the ear hair that grows outside of your ear canal at bay.

4. Prevent Ear Infections

You need to do everything possible to avoid ear infections as they can be quite painful. If you have recurrent ear infections, there are some things you can do to help prevent them. Try to avoid dirty areas with lots of dust and other airborne particles. Keep your ears dry as moist areas are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Use a HEPA filter in your home to keep the air as pure as possible. If you do get an infection, try essential oils for ear infection.

Keeping your ears in good shape is essential. Think about how many times every day that you rely on your hearing. The last thing you want is to be forced to get hearing aids because you did not take proper care of your ears. If you follow the four tips above, your ears will stay healthy and your hearing will remain strong. Remember that using hearing protection is crucial whenever you are exposed to loud noises over 85 decibels. With proper ear care, you will enjoy a lifetime of good hearing.