I would just make sure that it's fresh ( Oxbow expiration date is 2 years from the mill date)
I just wanted to clarify this, I think Tanya is saying here ( I don't use oxbow so I'm not sure ) that the Exp. date on the bag is 2 years past the mill date. Which means if your bag says it expires this month of this year, it was really milled two years ago.
After 6 months food has already begun losing nutritional value, so even the best food if old is not really giving your chin all you need.
That was not aimed at anyone in particular, just a general comment. And interesting to know, I didn't know that about Oxbow exp. date.
Just apply something to the ear and not "cleaning it" ( Claire gave a very good description of how to, the oil actually helps loosen the dry skin so it comes off easily ) is kind of like putting a bandaid on a problem. It binds the dead skin together so it doesn't look flakey, but doesn't remove it. Same deal with using lotion on ourselves, you should exfoliate before using lotion for it to work the best.
Feet ( and hand ) are actually different from ears because they actually have two more layers of skin than most general parts of the body to help prevent excessive wear since they are used so much more every day than say the skin on your back.
Applying an oil or bag balm will make the ears look not dry, yes, but to really solve the dry skin, if feeding a good diet, then the ears simply need to be sloughed.