Hair Styling Tools

Spring has sprung and it won’t be long before Summer.  Many of us who take our vacations during this time of year have our trips already planned or are in the process of planning them now.   As you go through your checklist of necessary items to take, make sure that if you are traveling outside the United States or Canada and you use a curling iron, it is important that the curling iron have dual voltage capabilities.

Believe it or not, there are many that travel out of the country and take their curling irons with them only to find out that the plug doesn’t work in the outlet when they go to use it.  There are also those that do know that the outlets require a different adapter plug and bring the right adapter plug along but when they plug in their curling iron it still shorts out, and in some cases shorts out the entire electrical system where they are staying.  So, in order to avoid ruining your curling iron or causing what could be a major inconvenience electrically speaking, it is best that you purchase a dual voltage curling iron for your trip.  

In the United States and Canada,  and perhaps a few other countries, the voltage used is 110 volt/60 hertz electricity.  The rest of the world, including Europe, runs on a 220 volt/50 hertz electrical system.  If your curling iron does not state anywhere that it can accomodate up to 220 volts of electricity, then your curling iron is not considered dual voltage.  You can usually find this information in the informational packet that comes with the curling iron or on an informational panel that is on the body of the curling iron. 

Dual voltage curling irons are curling irons that have been designed to accomodate two different voltage requirements.  On some curling irons you might find a switch that is designed to regulate which voltage to use.  Most dual voltage curling irons that are now designed to be used universally have been built to accomodate up to the 220 voltage.  Therefore, there is no switch to use and the only thing that you need is the right adapter plug for the country you are visiting. 

Most dual voltage curling irons found in the marketplace are no different than the curling irons you are accustomed to using here in the United States.  Some ceramic curling irons are available with the dual voltage feature and can be found in a variety of sizes.  A decent dual voltage curling iron should cost you no more than $30.00 to $35.00 online.