TSA item rule · verified 2026-07-02

Can you bring hair dryers on a plane?

TSA's official answer, checked against tsa.gov on 2026-07-02.

Corded dryers are not a regulated item

A hair dryer with a plug on the end carries no fuel and no battery — it draws everything it needs from the wall — so there is nothing for a screening rule to be about. TSA lists it allowed in carry-on and allowed in checked, and the hotel-style folding travel dryers are the same item in a smaller shell.

The cousin that is regulated is cordless, and it is not a dryer

The restriction people half-remember belongs to butane styling tools. The FAA allows one gas-cartridge curling iron per person, in carry-on baggage only, with a safety cover securely fitted over the heating element and the device protected from switching itself on; spare gas refills are not permitted at all. In the same entry it states that electric curling irons and hair straighteners — the ones that plug into an outlet — are not restricted. Our curling irons and straighteners page has the cordless case in full.

Voltage is a product question, not a screening one

A 110 V-only dryer plugged into a 230 V socket abroad dies loudly, and no checkpoint anywhere will warn you about it. Nothing on this page changes with the voltage — check the label on the handle before the trip, not at security.

Source for the rule above: FAA PackSafe — Curling Irons (Cordless)

Liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on follow the TSA 3-1-1 rule. The final decision always rests with the TSA officer at the checkpoint.

Source: TSA — What Can I Bring? · checked 2026-07-02

Related: curling irons straighteners