Can you carry a hair straightener on a plane?
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Are you wondering if you can carry a hair straightener on a plane? Well, let me tell you that you are not alone. Hair straighteners are an important hair styling tool that we as women, find particularly useful. Hair straighteners can make us look instantly put together for business meetings or for travel photos. Therefore wanting to carry a hair straightener even while travelling is perfectly justifiable!
In fact, that is why I did some research on whether you can carry a hair straightener on a plane. As per the TSA rules as well as the baggage policies of a number of airlines, you are allowed to carry a hair straightener on a plane. You can carry it in your hand baggage as well as your checked baggage. However, you should note that butane fuelled hair straighteners are only allowed in carry-on luggage.
Types of Hair Straighteners
For the purposes of determining how a hair straightener can be carried on a flight, hair straighteners can be broadly classified into two types.
Regular Hair Straighteners
A regular hair straightener is one that comes with a cord that must be connected to a power supply. The power supply heats up the device enabling you to straighten or style your hair.
Therefore, most of the hair straighteners available in the market such as ceramic, titanium, tourmaline, etc. fall in this category and can be safely carried on a plane.
Butane-fuelled hair straighteners
A butane hair straightener is a cordless hair straightener that is powered by butane. Butane is a highly-inflammable gas. This gas is filled in a cartridge and placed inside these hair straighteners.
Unlike butane-fuelled curling irons, butane fuelled hair straighteners are not easily available in the market. However, some women prefer using these for their ease of use and the convenience that they offer.
But it is important to note that on account of the inflammable nature of these hair straighteners, you must cover the heating element of these devices if you wish to carry it with you on a plane. You should also ensure that the device can’t be accidentally turned on.
Additionally, remember that you will not be allowed to carry the refill cartridges of these hair straighteners in both your carry on luggage as well as your checked luggage.
>> Check out: Can you carry a razor in your hand luggage?
When should you carry a hair straightener on a plane?
As much as we love hair straighteners and consider them to be our magic tool to make our out of control hair stay in place, we must really consider whether we should really carry a hair straightener on a plane.
In my opinion, the only times when you should carry a hair straightener on a plane is if-
- you are travelling on a work meeting with your hand luggage only and you absolutely need to ensure that you look put together.
- you are travelling only with your hand luggage and your hair can get unruly on account of change in humidity, temperature etc and the only solution to that is to regularly straighten your hair.
- you are only travelling with your hand luggage and the hotel/homestay/resort where you are staying does not provide a hair straightener or a flat iron to you.
A hair straightener that needs to be connected to a power supply runs the risk of facing voltage incompatibility issues when used in foreign locations. Similarly, the charging cable may also not be compatible with the power switches used in other countries.
Additionally, my personal experience tells me that the only time I have ended up using a hair straightener on my trips is when I have travelled for work-related meetings and interviews. On most other occasions, the hair straightener would just end up unused.
Therefore, no matter how lightweight and travel-friendly your hair straightener is, do not unnecessarily carry a hair straightener with you unless you really need it for one of the above-mentioned reasons.
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Best travel hair straighteners
AmoVee Mini Flat Iron
Check the latest price on Amazon now
Mini Hair Straightener Iron for Travelling
The benefit of using a mini hair straightener is that it occupies hardly any space in your handbag. This helps particularly if you are travelling on a business trip and have limited space in your laptop backpack.
It is particularly useful for quickly styling bangs and fringes. It comes with a compact plastic box and can be easily kept inside your handbag or purse. The best part about this hair straightener is that it packs in all of these features for a super low price!
Check the latest price on Amazon now
HSI Professional Glider
This is one of the best hair straighteners available online. This hair straightener is extremely lightweight and its small size makes it a perfect travel companion. It employs ionic and floating plates that ensure there is no burning. In fact, it is as powerful and sophisticated as any full-size hair straightener.
Yes, it is a bit more expensive than other small-sized hair straighteners but the quality makes the price absolutely worth it.
Check the latest price on Amazon now
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Frequently asked questions about carrying a hair straightener on a plane
How should I pack my hair straightener in my hand luggage?
Most baggage policies of airlines are silent on this. That means that you can pack your hair straightener the way you want.
That being said, as stated above, if you are carrying a butane fuelled hair straightener, you must pack it securely in your hand luggage in such a way that the heating element is fully covered and the device won’t get accidentally turned on.
Do I need to put the hair straightener in a transparent bag?
No. The rule of packing items in transparent bags is only applicable to liquids. A hair straightener can be packed in its case or cover that comes with it. In fact, unless it is a butane hair straightener, you can pack it howsoever you like.
Butane hair straighteners must be packed in the manner stated above.
Do I need to take out the hair straightener from my bag at the time of baggage screening?
No. A hair straightener need not be taken out of your hand luggage and screened separately unless you are specifically asked to do that by a security officer.
Can I put my hair straightener in my check-in baggage?
You are allowed to put your hair straightener in your check-in baggage. However, butane fuelled hair straighteners must strictly be carried in your hand luggage in the manner specified above.
Can I bring a hairdryer on a plane?
You are allowed to carry a hairdryer in both your hand luggage as well as your checked luggage.
Can I bring a cordless hair straightener on a plane?
A cordless hair straightener that is not fuelled by butane is allowed on a plane both in your hand luggage as well as your checked luggage.
Final Word
The rules with respect to carrying hair styling tools such as a hair straightener, curling iron, hairdryer etc. are pretty straightforward. In fact, the rules are also standard and followed by most airlines.
Personally, I have never faced any difficulty bringing a hair straightener on a plane both on my domestic and international journeys. However, I have always carried an electric hair straightener with a cord.
If you want to carry a cordless butane hair straightener, it would be best for you to read the baggage policy of your airline. If the policy is silent or unclear, you could get in touch with your airline directly.
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Pic courtersy: Maria Rantanen
