Flare Calmer | Ear Plugs Alternative | Daily Noise Relief | Sound Sensitivity | Stress Relief | No Muffling | Improve Wellbeing | Comfy, Reusable, Soft Silicone Earplugs | Original Mint

They work very well, pretty much exactly as advertised. They don't reduce volume of anything or create any muffling you might have with earplugs, nor do they create any uncomfortable awareness of your own voice/insides like you can get wearing earphones for example. They simply change the balance of sound frequencies to be more "flat". It takes any harsh sounds and just brings them down to an even level. Don't test them for the first time in a quiet environment, you likely won't notice the difference. It's very subtle, try them instead somewhere where there are noises that normally makes you feel uncomfortable. I did it on my daily walk to begin with, and when particularly loud cars/trucks went past me that normally are a bit much to listen to, they were much more manageable. I then used it at a wrestling show with dozens of people shouting and making noise for hours, and it made an incredible difference to my feelings of anxiety. I now don't leave the house without them, because it's just an easy win for me that helps to slow down the accumulation of anxiety within me that causes me to have a more difficult time in daily life. Wearing them when going shopping in a supermarket is a dream for example. So much more manageable with the endless cacophony of beeping, talking, clanking etc. It takes a while to get used to having them in your ears and you have to push them in deeper than you are initially comfortable to do, but this is why they have a little handle for you to pull them out of your ears. The "technique" I use is to put them on the end of my index fingers, then place them gently into my ear canal, and wiggle my fingers from side to side as I gently push them deeper into my ears, until they "lodge" into place. It takes practice to get it right but it's worth persevering with. They will never fall out this way. (see picture to see where they sit in my ears) The first few times I wore them I didn't push them deep enough into my ears, so they kept falling out, including while walking round a supermarket, which caused me more anxiety than I was trying to solve with them, so I took them out. But then I figured out the "technique" and they've been totally fine since. They come with a really high quality drawstring mesh bag that I always keep in my pocket when I am wearing them in case I do want to take them out. They actually sell a little metal pot to keep them in if you want but I find this bag is perfect. Honestly these have been life changing for me. If you suffer from chronic anxiety while in social settings then you owe it to yourself to at least give these a try. I was sceptical at first, but decided I had nothing to lose, and I am so glad I tried them.

I'm neuro-typical, but I am very intolerant to loud noises. I have an irrational frustration towards people playing music, screaming children and, whilst I'm not autistic, I do seem to demonstrate an intolerance of sounds and noises consistent with the relevant autistic traits. I do suffer with Misphonia, in particular the sound of breathing, or someone chewing, swallowing or slurping. My sister is autistic and thinks these are great. I however, found them completely useless and a waste of £20. We attended a large and popular soft play centre with my nephew. The noise was unbearable and I had a pounding headache and felt really anxious and irritated. We went back yesterday afternoon and I tried a pair of the standard sized plugs when the owner decided to block the screaming kids out by playing loud RnB music throughout the building. They made absolutely no difference whatsoever - well that's not true, they made it more difficult for me to hear my own voice when talking - but made no difference to environmental noise such as screaming children, loud talking and loud music. They were comfortable, they simply did not work in any way and I left feeling like I had another axe in my forehead. A complete waste of money. Zero impact at all. I'm going to ask my doctor about Hyperacusis, it seems like it might be relevant to my experiences. Don't recommend these at all. Sorry.

Works well for me, I like them and it definitely helped with my noise sensitivity at work. Only issue is how easy they are to lose, ive bought two pairs due to one falling out and not being able to find it. For the price in the future I will look into other options that have an easy way of securing them to avoid loss.

Update in Feb 2024: They're small and very easy to misplace, which is a major drawback. I've lost about three pairs now, and replacing them isn't cheap. I wish there were a dedicated storage solution to prevent this issue. Original review: A modern-day miracle! These tiny pieces of silicone have transformed my family's life. As an autistic mother, I've struggled with my son's crying for the past three years. The cries triggered unbearable anxieties, making me dread spending time with him. I despised feeling this way, and at my lowest, I considered involving social services, fearing my inability to properly care for my little boy. Then I tried Calmer after spotting an ad on social media. I had used earplugs before, which didn't help much, so my expectations were low. However, the difference from the first day was astounding. With Calmer, when my son cries or has a tantrum, it no longer irritates me. The harsh, sharp edges of his cries that used to be so painful are now gentler, more rounded, and far more bearable. I can now be with my son without the fear of having a meltdown in front of him. Although I still face other sensory issues, like sensitivity to touch, managing sound sensitivity has made parenthood as an autistic person more manageable. So, thank you.

Extremely expensive for tiny bits of plastic and very easy to lose. I lost one of the earplugs on its second outing. The bag provided is useless at staying shut and it opened in my bag and there was only one ear plug in it and the other was nowhere to be found. I assume it fell out of my bag because the pouch was open. The ear plugs themselves do take the edge off sound and generally reduce sharpness and piercing noises. However I could feel them in my ears and that sensation never went away. They feel like half earplugs that don't stop you hearing. Unfortunately, due to losing one instantly, I can't say if they help with anything longer term.

Below is my first review. Here is my updated one. I have upgraded my review to 5 stars because despite the tiny inconvenience of feeling them trying to fall out sometimes, that has fallen into insignificance today when I experienced them working at their best. I'm currently sat in a noisy busy pub. I'm having a conversation with my wife and can hear her just fine. I decided to take them out of my ears and couldn't put them back in fast enough. The sound literally hurt. I could hear additional annoying sounds I hadn't noticed before. It reminded me of when you see Superman as a boy in Man of Steel trying to cope with his super hearing. What a transformation! I think I would have really struggled in this environment if it wasn't for these ear plugs. Absolutely amazing! It's weird how they work. It takes the edge off loud and irritating noise. They do work their way out so need pushing back in from time to time. I was sceptical but pleasantly surprised.

These items are entirely for preference of the person. There is nothing wrong with the quality of the item or the item itself. I just couldn’t cope with them being in my ears. It stopped external noise but I could hear my heartbeat and myself blinking and breathing. So they came out straight away. Again these are preference to the wearer. They work for a lot of Autistic / ADHD people. I’ve even used the official “loop” ones and I couldn’t cope with those either.

I bought these as I suspected 'loop' would fall out of my ears (in-ear buds never sit right, I have a small ear canal and they pop out at the slightest motion such as talking or smiling). Flare stay in my ears, I find the fit very comfortable. They don't reduce the noise, but it feels less 'spiky', if that makes sense? It's still there, it's still loud, but it doesn't set my nervous system on high alert. I only put them in when I'm getting overwhelmed. It does make mumblers even harder to understand, and the guy singing loudly behind you at a concert very much has the spotlight. Paired up with over-ear noise-cancelling headphones helps reduce office chatter when on a call too. They are very dainty and I need to buy a new carry-case as the bag they come in doesn't close properly.