Brandi Glanville’s Garlic Mishap Is a Warning About Social Media Remedies
Brandi Glanville spent part of Easter weekend in urgent care after a garlic clove got stuck in her ear while she was trying to deal with congestion from a cold.
She later said she could not get it out on her own, and that every attempt seemed to push it deeper until a medical professional removed it the next day.
That last sentence should be a warning for anyone trying this social media hack for ear congestion, or any other online remedy.
People reported that Glanville shared the story on the April 10 episode of her Unfiltered podcast. The 53-year-old is best known to many viewers as a former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member, and she said the whole mess started after she caught a cold from her son and tried an internet remedy she had seen floating around online.
The internet’s garlic hack
I grew up hearing plenty of odd home remedies, but this is the kind of thing that feels very 2026. It’s allegedly a fast fix that’s going viral, and something that’s far too risky, as Glanville found out.
In Glanville’s case, the garlic trick was meant to help with congestion, though the online version is more commonly shown as a nose remedy, not an ear remedy.
She said it burned when she tried it near her nostril, then she moved it to her ear, where it got stuck.
It’s important to know that garlic can irritate tissue, raise the chance of infection, and make the problem worse instead of better.
Why these fixes go wrong
Social media health advice can look harmless because it is free, often made to sound simple, and dressed up like a secret trick doctors never told you. That’s usually where the trouble starts.
When it comes to your ear, MedlinePlus adds that when something is lodged in the ear, trying to remove it with a cotton swab, pin, tweezers, or another tool can push it farther in and damage the ear.
The safest advice comes from ENT Health. They advise not to insert things into the ear canal in the first place, even when the goal is cleaning or quick relief.
What is ear congestion?
What many people call ear congestion is often a blocked or irritated eustachian tube, the passage that helps equalize pressure and drain fluid between the middle ear and the back of the throat.
The Cleveland Clinic says that when those tubes are not working right, often during a cold, flu, or allergy flare, people can feel fullness, pain, pressure, popping, ringing, dizziness, and muffled hearing, almost like being underwater.
The Mayo Clinic adds that swelling from a cold is a common reason ears suddenly feel plugged.
Better ways to get relief
Safer options are far less dramatic. For example, the Mayo Clinic says swallowing, yawning, or chewing gum can help open the eustachian tubes, and a gentle pressure-equalizing blow with the nose pinched can sometimes help too.
The Cleveland Clinic suggests that a saline spray may help clear the nasal passages, and that treatment depends on the cause. For instance, if the cause is allergies or inflammation, treatments may differ.
If you experience severe pain, drainage, dizziness, ringing, hearing loss, or if symptoms that last more than a couple of weeks, seek medical advice.
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