Hair straighteners

Understand the risk

The plates on hair straighteners can:

• heat up to more than 200°C in less than 10 minutes
• take more than 30 minutes to cool down to a safe temperature.

Children can accidentally pick up, sit on or stand on hair straighteners. This leads to injuries that range from superficial burns to severe, full thickness burns.

A child’s skin is much thinner than an adult’s, so these types of burns can leave permanent scars.

Each week, one child in Queensland suffers serious burns from hair straighteners.

Protect your children

Children often like to mimic what they see their parents doing. Use your hair straightener away from where your children can see.

Always follow these steps:

• Turn the straightener off immediately after using it.
• Put it somewhere high so that it's out of reach of young hands.
• Wait for the plates to cool and then put away securely.

Products such as heat resistant cases and safety bags can help minimise the risks of contact with hair straighteners by children. Do your research to find a product that suits your straightener.