Sweet Oil: Health Benefits and Nutrition Facts

Use Sweet Oil for Ears and Around the Home

Sweet oil
Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman
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Sweet oil is another name for olive oil. This common product can be utilized around the home, but one of the most popular applications is using sweet oil for ears. The product has a long history as a treatment for ear infections and ear pain. Sweet oil should not be confused with sweet almond oil, another product that is often used to boost beauty and health.

What Is Sweet Oil?

Sweet oil is another name for olive oil. You might find sweet oil (with a label that says "Sweet Oil") online or in health food stores as a treatment for common ailments. But many people who use the oil as a health treatment simply buy olive oil. Herbalists and other alternative medicine specialists who use sweet oil generally recommend that you buy cold pressed olive oil to get a pure product.

Sweet oil gets its name from the taste of the oil. Olive oil is considered to be sweeter than other types of oil like canola oil, or other vegetable oils. Olive oil has been used for dietary and health reasons for thousands of years. Olive oil is still one of the most common oils used for cooking in kitchens around the world.

Nutrition Facts

The following nutrition information is provided by the USDA for 1 tablespoon (14g) of sweet oil.

  • Calories: 119
  • Fat: 14g
  • Sodium: 0mg
  • Carbohydrates: 0g
  • Fiber: 0g
  • Sugars: 0g
  • Protein: 0g

Fats in Sweet Oil

Some of the fats in olive oil—or sweet oil—are considered to be good fats. Most of the fat in sweet oil is monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats are considered "good" fats because they can help boost your HDL or "good" cholesterol levels. Experts at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommend that you choose foods with monounsaturated fat instead of saturated fat when possible.

You'll also get a small amount of polyunsaturated fat if you cook with or consume sweet oil. Polyunsaturated fats are also considered healthy fats. Polyunsaturated fat can help lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol. For that reason, health experts recommend that you get 3-10 percent of your daily calories from polyunsaturated fat.

There is a some (about 14%) of saturated fat in sweet oil. This type of fat may increase your risk for heart disease, but experts are re-evaluating the role of saturated fat in a heart-healthy diet.

There is no carbohydrate or protein in sweet oil.

Uses

Sweet oil is often used as a moisturizer or a softening agent. Most people are comfortable using the oil because sweet oil is olive oil—a product that they are familiar with. Although scientific evidence is lacking to support these applications, consumers might use sweet oil for health and beauty applications including:

  • Treatment for snoring when mixed with warm water and consumed before bed
  • To soften cuticles during a manicure
  • To soften and treat brittle hair
  • As a substitute for shaving cream
  • To reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles

In addition to its health and beauty applications, you may see household uses for sweet oil promoted. According to fans of the product, sweet oil can be used to:

  • Polish furniture
  • Restore color and luster to wood
  • Replace other forms of fat ((such as butter or lard) when cooking

The most widely known use for sweet oil, however, is the treatment of ear pain.

For Earaches

Many people use sweet oil for ear pain. Herbalists and those who practice alternative medicine have used warm sweet oil to treat ear infections for hundreds of years, with many people reporting success.

The oil is usually warmed slightly then applied to the ear using a small dropper. Scientific evidence to support the use of sweet oil for ear infections is lacking. And medical organizations don't acknowledge or recommend its use.

The University of Texas Department of Otolaryngology provides advice to patients who are suffering from ear pain. In a discussion about ear wax, they discuss the use of sweet oil and how it can cause problems in the ear.

"Fungal infections can also be a complication of many of the home remedies. One home remedy calls for the use of sweet oil drops in the ear. Many times a fungus will grow on the sweet oil and this type of remedy should be avoided."

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery also provides advice to readers about managing ear wax. They recommend that you never insert anything into the ear for cleaning. They acknowledge that home treatments including the use of "mineral oil, baby oil, glycerin, or commercial drops" may be effective to remove ear wax. They do not mention the use of sweet oil for ears.

In the organization's recommendations for the treatment of swimmer's ear (acute otitis externa), a common type of ear infection, they do not mention the use of sweet oil, instead recommending that "Mildly acidic solutions containing boric or acetic acid are effective for early infections." If you think you have an ear infection, your doctor can evaluate the condition and recommend a treatment that is both safe and effective.

A Word From Verywell

While sweet oil has been used medicinally for thousands of years to treat ear pain and infections, you should always speak with a health care professional before using sweet oil, or anything similar. Remember that supporting research for the use of sweet oil for ear infections is still lacking, and medical experts do not acknowledge it as an effective form of treatment. Self-treating a medical condition with a holistic remedy without the guidance of a medical professional is not recommended.

7 Sources
Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Oil, olive, salad or cooking. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.

  2. Vannice G, Rasmussen H. Position of the academy of nutrition and dietetics: dietary fatty acids for healthy adultsJ Acad Nutr Diet. 2014;114(1):136–153. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2013.11.001

  3. Liu AG, Ford NA, Hu FB, Zelman KM, Mozaffarian D, Kris-Etherton PM. A healthy approach to dietary fats: understanding the science and taking action to reduce consumer confusionNutr J. 2017;16(1):53. doi:10.1186/s12937-017-0271-4

  4. American Heart Association. Saturated fat.

  5. University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston. Otorhinolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery. Ear wax discussion.

  6. American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. ENT Health. Earwax (cerumen impaction).

  7. American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. ENT Health. Swimmer's ear (Otitis externa).

By Malia Frey, M.A., ACE-CHC, CPT
 Malia Frey is a weight loss expert, certified health coach, weight management specialist, personal trainer​, and fitness nutrition specialist.