Methinks it is partly
a thing of age (that is 'maturity'), things dry up as we get older (no other specifics will be discussed)!
Plus skin type - such as proneness to eczema as some have said. which some shampoos and soaps might make worse by drying skin out too much. At least they do so in me.
I do know that diabetes can make me prone to fungal infections and that moisture in the ears can make that a bit more likely.
Mild cortisone creams (like mentioned above , usually brand names ending in -cort)
help relieve the itch for me but they can flare up a fungal infection if I am not careful.
I tend to use
tea-tree oil - tea trees grow in Oz, not sure if you have the oil in the Northern Hemisphere but it eases skin dryness and has mild anti-fungal properties. I use a cotton bud but just near the entrance to the ear to let the oil drain in and just wipe around the entrance. I never use cotton wool to block up the ears (even if Mrs Kitedoc is talking). That keeps the moisture in and makes bugs and funguses grow. I felt like writing that instead of fungi for once )! Please, pretty please do not moderate it !!
Once a week I use
moisturising and anti-fungal shampoos so that scalp and ears obtain a dollop of prevention.
There is a saying that one should not put anything smaller than one's elbow in one's earhole. ( No contortionists allowed)!
I think docs are worried that a cotton bud in there can push wax up inside the ear canal to form a blockage, and anything narrower could cause other problems if put further in.
May dry ears begone or the least of your troubles !!
