My curling iron is my most treasured styling equipment. Whenever I travel out of the city, I bring it with me. With it, I can whip out perfect beach curls in minutes.
But that made me wonder, can you bring a curling iron on the plane?
There’s no straight answer to this question. You certainly don’t want the TSA officers confiscating your $300 curling iron, so read on to know more!
Can you bring a curling iron on the plane?
Yes — with a few exceptions. According to the TSA, you can bring corded curling irons in your carry-on luggage and your checked luggage. There are no restrictions to this rule, so you can bring any type of brand you like as long as it’s corded.
Butane-powered curling irons and cordless curling irons, however, aren’t allowed in your checked luggage. These styling tools are highly flammable, after all.
Although they’re allowed in your hand luggage, you can only bring one gas-powered or butane-powered tool with you. Therefore, you can’t bring a cordless curling iron and a butane-powered iron in one bag.
Additionally, cordless or butane-powered curling irons need to be safely packed inside your bag. A cover must be fitted in the heating element and never taken out while you’re on board to avoid accidental activation.
What about other hair styling tools?
Alongside corded irons, you can safely bring your electric hair rollers, hot-air brushes, hair straighteners, and blow-dryers in your hand luggage and checked luggage as long as they’re corded.
The same rule applies to butane-powered and battery-powered styling tools. They’re allowed in your carry-on luggage but not in your checked luggage. Also, you can only bring one butane-powered or battery-powered item with you.
Spare lithium-ion batteries must only be carried in your carry-on bags. Conversely, spare cartridges and gas refills aren’t allowed in either carry-on or checked bags, so make sure to replace the cartridge if you’re planning to use your butane-powered curler abroad.
Considerations when packing a curling iron
There are three major considerations to keep in mind when packing a curling iron.
First and foremost: never bring your most expensive curler with you, lest it gets damaged or lost. If you must, carry them in your hand luggage rather than your checked luggage.
Secondly, always bring an electrical outlet adapter. When traveling, you’ll come across several unique socket types. Therefore, you always want to search the country’s socket type so you bring the correct adapter.
Finally, make sure your curler is dual-voltage. If it isn’t, get yourself a transformer pack so it can automatically convert to the appropriate voltage.
To sum up…
If you’re planning to bring your curling iron on the plane, make sure it’s a corded model. Battery-powered and butane-powered curlers aren’t allowed in your checked luggage, so you can only bring them in your carry-on bag.
With that said, remember to pack the appropriate travel adapter so you won’t face any issues while you’re styling your hair abroad. Happy travels!
