curling iron question
 

i plan to use my dual voltage curling iron with an adapter. i keep reading that people have had experiences with melting hair. does this sometimes happen with dual voltage curling irons used with adapters or just when using a converter?<BR>thanks.

Yeah, like total for sure, it will like, totally fry your hair...so like you need to totally not like worry about like any of that stuff and just like spend you time like totally out of your like hotel room and like not worrying about you hair!

Marci-<BR>I had the same problem you are talking about with a converter, but I am not sure about the adapter w/ dual voltage curling iron. I would be interested to hear any advice anyone has also. <BR>By the way--try to ignore the previous idiot. Like you and most other normal people, I like to bathe and look presentable on vacation.

You do not need a converter but you will need an adapter plug. Do not turn your curling iron to the highest setting; use medium or lower.<BR><BR>If you use a dual voltage hair dryer, always use the low setting.

I melted a curling iron in Paris with a converter.<BR><BR>However, my daughter solved the problem by buying a curling iron in Europe. They are cheap, will work fine and you can save it to use for future trips.

to be safe, you may be better off just buying one in Europe when you get there, or just do without it.

I haven't ever used a curling iron, but I do take a dual voltage dryer with me which works great, I've never had problems.... but, I'm guessing if people are melting something, it is probably the setting being too high. My dryer is great in that when it is set on the 220V, it physically will not allow you to put it on the high setting, only the low, so that's a good safety feature (the low works like high, though, in Europe, no problem getting my hair dry). So, I suspect if you can force a dual voltage curling iron to high setting, that's the problem.

John G must have some thoughts on this...

I took my curling blow dryer with the converter. Plugged all of it and it blew the electric service in the entire wing of our hotel--not electricity until the electrician came. Marilyn

No idea about the voltage conversion issue, but my curling iron self destructed once when I had the front of my hair in it. Burned off several inches of hair. Tragic! Be careful, just in case.

Ok, now I'm getting worried. We're going to Ireland in a few weeks and I use a hair dryer and a curling iron. I was going to go out tonight to buy a voltage converter. The one I was looking at is switchable 50 or 1600 watts. Will that make a difference?<BR><BR>We're doing a whirlwind tour of Ireland and I may not have time to buy a curling iron and hairdryer there.<BR><BR>Any advice (besides going without)? Has anyone had any luck with the voltage converters?

I have had too many traumas with so-called "travel" or dual voltage curling irons & hair dryers that either shorted or melted when in Europe. I finally just bought a European curling iron from BHV and that works fine.

My advice would be to forget this voltage conveerter business and buy a dual voltage dryer and curling iron if you must. It's more convenient to pack, anyway, than having that converter. A dual voltage product is made to be used that way and should have been tested, so I think would be more reliable than something that is not. I know they have these and they cost only $10-$18 in the US, I see them all the time in the drug and discount stores. I think Conair makes dual voltage curling irons (I know they do hair dryers), and I think Vidal Sassoon does, also. The drug store chain CVS has a nice CVS-label travel dual voltage dryer--they were on sale about a month ago for only $10 (regularly $18), so I bought one as I'd been wanting one as my other one will have to die eventually (it's 15 years old). They are quite nice, about 1600 watts, great bright blue color and a foldable handle. <BR><BR>I don't understand the watts issue on the converter as the converter is for the voltage, but I suppose it has something to do with heavy duty versus minor appliances and having two settings should help. I've never used a converter, though. I think everybody who's talked about melting and blowing up was using a converter, not a dual voltage appliance, but maybe I missed something.

well, there you go, we crossed posts and Melissa said she'd had dual voltage ones fail. Well, as I said, I have one that's worked for 15 years all over Europe, Mexico, Caribbean and Africa and have never had a problem with it.

My wife has:<BR>-Fried curling irons with converters<BR>-Blown fuses in hotel rooms with dual voltage hair dryers<BR>-finally bought a EU curling iron however it is only 18W vs. the 85W she has at home so it does not get really hot. <BR>Recommend you buy a dual voltage curling iron with at least 25-30W<BR>Buy a dual voltage hair dryer but do not use the highest heat setting, 1500W will take out a lot of European fuses.

Marci--I took my dual-voltage hair dryer, and dual voltage curling iron to Italy this spring. Both worked fine. As several people mentioned, usually the hair dryers only work on low speed. I also found that the curling iron kept shutting off on high heat, but did fine when I used a lower heat setting. Since both items were dual voltage, I only needed the plug adapter. Good luck!

VIsited Paris last month and always use a hot curling brush at home. Hubby said leave it home and pick one up in Paris. We searched a variety of stores but had no luck. I ended up going natural. (Tried to stay out of photo ops all week long. )

I take a Clairol curling Iron that does't use electricity. It has a "thing" that you screw in the handle and it makes it get hot. Sorry that it is such a poor description !

I believe that would be a butane curling iron.

used an adapter for my curling iron in Sorrento and the darn thing melted!