I had the doctor look down my ear several times over 25 years and say there was wax. But I never saw any at the outside and only ever had flakes of dry skin, mostly as a result of the scratching. When it got bad (and when I had the night sweats) they would be damp and weepy in the morning and not smell nice. I used to think it was infection.
It was mostly the one ear, and I never saw any ear wax unless I stuck something down it
I was told to use olive oil and not scratch.
Not scratching was hard and the olive oil gave me earache. Nothing came out.
In the meantime I must admit I used cotton buds, hairgrips etc out of sheer frustration. I have also used moisturiser, almond oil, and oil with a bit of lavender in it.
When I used the bicarb drops for the five days as per instructions, I got loads of lumps of manky dead skin and dark compacted ear wax out. And the itching stopped. It is only thing that has ever worked for me. To start with I went a bit deaf in one ear because there was so much stuff there!
If you are not sure if you have an earwax problem, you could get someone to look. Normally the earwax gradually moves to the outside as your skin grows and moves to the outside, and it keeps things 'moist'. If you have been scratching a lot (or being naughty and using hairgrips), it damages the skin in the ear canal and this does not happen properly. Then it itches all the more.
Personally, I would give it a couple of days and see if it has any effect. If you are still sure it is only dryness, then you can get an olive oil ear spray which is less messy that using drops and is a lighter touch. Or use something like dermol round the entrance.
