Ear canal has a mechanism to self clean . The skin of the ear migrates outward and brings the wax out along with it . When you use a Q tip to clean the ear, you either break this skin migration or push the wax inside . Both leads to more wax accumulation and infection. So it is harmful to use Q tip. If you are getting excess wax or dryness, you can use wax softening ear drops like Soliwax ear drops to soften it and help the migration