Ear wax (or cerumen) is made up of natural oils produced by your ears, dead skin cells and other debris. The purpose of cerumen is to protect the delicate skin of the ear canal from infection and keep the ear clean. Cerumen is slightly acidic, which helps keep bacteria at bay, and the natural oils cerumen contains help to moisturise the skin inside the ear to keep it healthy. A process called 'epithelial migration' means the skin of the ear canal grows outwards (away from the ear drum) at the same rate that your hair and nails grow, and so the cerumen should naturally migrate out of the ear canal bringing any debris with it. So as you see, it is perfectly healthy to have a small amount of ear wax in your ears.

Ear wax causes a problem when it builds up and begins to block the ear canals. This may be due to the use of ear plugs or hearing aids, or simply having narrow or hairy ear canals. Many people use cotton buds to 'clean' their ears, but inserting cotton buds into your ear canal is more likely to push ear wax deeper into the canal than actually remove it, causing the ear wax to get impacted against the ear drum. Cotton buds will also remove the protective layer of ear wax that should coat the ear canal, leaving the skin open to infection, dryness and itchiness. 

The most common symptoms of an ear wax blockage is loss of hearing. Some people also experience ear pain, itching, tinnitus (a ringing, buzzing or rushing sound in the ear), or dizziness.