hair tools and international travel

amandasw · April 2012

H and I are planning a trip to Greece in may (yay!) so I've slowly been working on the itinerary and collecting thing I'll need - mostly I've worked on buying dresses Anyway, I'm just curious what hair tools you bring when you travel, especially if it's overseas. In the past I've tried to get away with doing no-heat hairstyles so I don't have to mess with the converting plugs etc. and/or hoping places will at least have a hair dryer (although sometimes they suck).

When you travel, do you bring hairdryer, straightener, curling iron...?

Do you have ones specifically for travel?

Kore! · April 2012

I brought a flat iron & one of those universal converters (let hair air dry or used hotel dryers). We needed a converter to charge our phones & gadgets, anyway, so it didn't make sense to buy a special European flat iron.

amandasw · April 2012

ok, I get a little confused with the converter terminology - did you get a plug adapter or a wattage converter? For a cell phone I've used just an adapter, but I don't know if I need an adapter or a converter for my straightener.

casmgn · April 2012

Hairdryers especially are notorious for blowing out fuses - much better to either use the hotel one or buy a cheap one there.

TX-Bride · April 2012

I have a GHD flat iron that works with both 110V and 220V, so all I pack with me is a the little convertor for the outlet type three prong to european two prong, I use the hotels' dryer.

Kore! · April 2012

We got something like this.

ExpatPumpkin · April 2012

I live in London and use my American-bought Chi curling iron - with a plug adaptor. And I take it with me on longer-than-weekend trips... With the appropriate plug adaptor. No problems.

As for the dryer, I bought one here with an English plug. When I travel, I just use the hotel's dryer. A friend brought her dryer over and it made strange sounds - like it was really struggling - when she plugged it in. That wasn't good, so she just used mine.

So I'd bring your iron, but not your dryer. You can easily buy a plug adaptor at the airport or before you travel.

AKuzReve · April 2012

I bring a straightener and I use it very seldom. I don't bring a hair dryer because my hotels/apartments have one and I'll make it work, even if it sucks. It seems like unnecessary space to take up. Of course, I always pray and hope that my hair looks phenomenal on vacation. In the Caribbean, my beachy waves look amazing but in Europe, not so much.

mavjen · April 2012

I will pack a curling iron and/or straightener but no hair dryers. The hotel will have a dryer and voltages may be different from the US. Don't quote me but US voltage may be 220 watts but I remember some European countries were 120 watts, so a hair dryer would not work or not work well like it does at home.

amandasw · April 2012

ok, thanks ladies! I mostly have been nervous about ruining my CHI flat iron so I've never brought it anywhere, but would like to this time (and especially now that I've figured out how to use it to curl my hair, yay for 2-in-1).

bethbloom · April 2012

amandasw:
ok, thanks ladies! I mostly have been nervous about ruining my CHI flat iron so I've never brought it anywhere, but would like to this time (and especially now that I've figured out how to use it to curl my hair, yay for 2-in-1).

In Italy my roommate melted her CHI iron. It got so hot, even with a converter, that the glue holding on the plates started melting and were coming off. I would suggest buying a cheaper/crappier iron and using that - then if something bad does happen you won't be out $$$.

And don't bother with the hair dryer - mine almost caught fire.

FrannyS · April 2012

When I went to Scotland, not only did my dryer practically set the room on fire but my straightener got so hot that like the other poster, the plates pretty much melted off.

And yes, I used the converter with both. Not worth it, use the hotel dryer and go curly (if that's an option).

amandasw · April 2012

bethbloom:
amandasw:
ok, thanks ladies! I mostly have been nervous about ruining my CHI flat iron so I've never brought it anywhere, but would like to this time (and especially now that I've figured out how to use it to curl my hair, yay for 2-in-1).
In Italy my roommate melted her CHI iron. It got so hot, even with a converter, that the glue holding on the plates started melting and were coming off. I would suggest buying a cheaper/crappier iron and using that - then if something bad does happen you won't be out $$$.
And don't bother with the hair dryer - mine almost caught fire.

yikes! ok then, maybe not a good idea to bring it! I'll see if I can find a cheap one to take.

thanks again!

hollymichael · April 2012

I have both a flat iron (cheap-ish) and hair dryer that are dual voltage that I use for travel. Then, I take the plug adapter with me and don't need the converter. I wouldn't use your expensive flat iron there unless it is dual voltage.

bim38106 · April 2012

My extended family is in Belgium so I used to go there a lot. I don't know if I had the wrong type of adapter (the plug in ones) but it never gave me enough power. My dryer was weak and would blow fuses in my grandparent's house, and my Chi flat iron never got hot enough. I'm pretty sure the Chi instructions also said not to use w/ an adapter too... but I could be remembering wrong. The last time I went was 3 years ago though, maybe stuff has changed since then, or maybe I was using the wrong thing (have used a few different plug in ones throughout the years). I ended up just buying a cheap dryer to keep at my grandparents' house and didn't use a flat iron.

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