hairdryer

Is there a reason that you don’t want to use the hairdryers provided by the hotels?

I agree with Carol - I do not think I have ever stayed at a hotel (or even a rental apartment) where a blow dryer has not been provided.

Use the one in the hotel (which in the UK at least will not be in the bathroom) or go to Boots or Argos and buy one for a tenner.

And I agree with both Carol and Mardee: all of our hotels have had them so one less thing taking up space in the suitcase. :O)

We have never not had a hairdryer while staying in a hotel. Often times they are pretty wimpy, but they do get the job done. If you are camping, then yes I would buy one upon arrival.

Buy one in London if you must and get the necessary adapters to work in Italy and France. Note that an adapter simply changes the plug type to work with a given country’s standard plug type. A converter changes the voltage. Using an adapter is usually quite easy. Converters not so much. Why don’t you want to use an adapter?

The problem is the voltage, not the wattage. Europe uses 220v, double the power of US 110. A plug adaptor does not change the voltage, so if you use an adaptor to plug in your US 110v hairdryer, the extra voltage will fry your device.

You can buy dual-voltage hairdryers that operate safely on both systems (assuming you remember to adjust the setting). But a better solution is to use the hair dryers supplied by the hotels or apartments as everyone above suggests.

Plavogue makes a dual voltage roller brush dryer. You will still need a plug adaptor, but won't need a converter. Be sure it is the dual voltage version. Note that this is a roller brush dryer not a regular hair dryer like the one that is available in most hotels. You can order it online.

Even in the budget-level lodgings I use (there must have been 150 or so since 2015), there's virtually always a hairdryer in the room. Look everywhere (they're often tucked away) and if you don't see one, check with the receptionist or contact your apartment host.

Decades ago I traveled with a dual-voltage hairdryer. It was no more powerful than what I now find in my cheapo hotels. It's a shame to devote that much luggage space to something your lodgings will almost certainly provide, but I can vouch for the fact that dual-voltage products do work if you set the switch properly. You'll need the appropriate adapter plug(s). Check the weight if you order online; I think some of them are very heavy (though those are likely more powerful).

I'm not a hairdryer expert, but I've read that dual-voltage hair dryers don't always work equally "well" on both voltages. And if you forget to reset the voltage (often a tiny switch) you can blow them out anyway.

I presume a Roller/Dryer has two motors, which may make it harder to have one switch change them both, a manufacturing cost issue.

The dryers were terrible last year. I went to six different countries and none of them were powerful to get my hair dry. My hair is long and very thick.. It was a hot mess.

All of the hotels had dryers and all of them were very weak. My hair is thick and a frizzy mess if I don't blow it out right.

I use a Revlon hairbrush as well. I bought one in France with 220V. It worked well. Of course, the adapter is not right for Britain so you won't be able to use it unless you get the adapter. Italy uses the same adapter as France so you would be fine.

If it is that critical, then buy locally for a unit that is designed to work on 220/240 volts. Europe is uniform with 220/240 volts BUT not uniform with the plugs. Depending on where you buy it and where you go, you may need a simple, plug adapter. AND it will work just fine in all European countries.

Amazon has dual-voltage hair dryers. They’ll work in US and with proper adapter in England and Europe.Just look for “European Hair Dryers.”

Most hair dryers are higher wattage than the 575W limit for the two pin, non-grounding Europlug, so they should (have to) use a grounding plug. These can be different for France and Italy. (I understand that new construction in Italy might have outlets with both the traditional grounded Italian receptacle and a type E/F Schuko receptacle.) An appliance with a French plug might work in Italy, but an appliance with an Italian plug won't work in France.

Europe is uniform with 220/240 volts

Last I knew, the EU was trying to standardize on 230V everywhere. The Brits were unhappy with that move because their existing 240V electric kettles would not heat as quickly on 230V. I don't know how Brexit might have changed the standardization.

And, 220 and 240 are just nominal values anyway, just like our 110/115/120 volt "standard". There is a tolerance on the nominal value, and you could have higher or lower voltage depending on how far you are from the source. My home power is closer to 125V.

A company I worked for in the 1980s made a product with a shaded pole motor. We had a 220V version of the motor for Europe. One day Marketing came to us with a request for a special machine for Australia. It had to have a different plug and the 220V motor, they said.

After we shipped the product, they started coming back with the motors burned out. That's when I decided that the Marketing people weren't technical enough to specify anything, and I got a booklet called, as I remember, "Voltages abroad". I discovered that, at the time, the power in most of Australia was 240V, and in Perth it was 250V!

Every hotel hotel hairdryer I used on our recent trip to Italy(we just returned a week ago) was a large powerful one, usually with 3 airspeed choices and 3 temperature settings.

I agree that her best solution, if she wants to buy one of her own, is to buy it there. It is hard to find 220v appliances with a European plug in the US—-I’ve tried.

Amazon has a couple of dual voltage roller brushes that should serve your needs, but it’s hard to see how big or bulky they are. I use this gadget routinely at home but for travel, I take a few thermal rollers and use the hotel hair dryer. If I were you and really wanted a European roller brush, I’d buy it there. Good luck!

As someone who uses (and needs) a Dyson in the US, I completely understand what you are looking for. I have thick curly hair that I blow dry straight. The hairdryers in the hotels in Europe just don't cut it. Last year in France I got a dual voltage semi cheap ($20-35) hair dryer that worked well in France. I think it was this one (Conair Hair Dryer with Folding Handle and Retractable Cord, 1875W Travel Hair Dryer, Conair Blow Dryer) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ZPMPGI/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
I can't remember exactly, because I ended up leaving it in France, giving it to another tour member that was traveling on. What I remember was it was bulky but powerful. You will need and adapter plug. I also got the baby bliss dual voltage one, which was smaller- but not powerful enough. Hope this helps.

You can use a hairdryer purchased in the UK in France and Italy and vice-versa. The countries have different plug styles, so you will need the appropriate plug adapter. I have both a hair dryer and flat iron purchased in Europe that I’ve used while traveling both in the UK and on the continent. I no longer bring the hairdryer with me since most hotels have dryers.

I’d suggest just buying a hairdryer you like when you get there with the appropriate plug adapter. In the UK, you can find a small selection of hairdryers at Boots. Robert Dyas (an electronics) or a department store like Selfridges or Peter Jones will have larger selections. You could also look for a Beauty Supply store (there are Sally Beauty Supply stores in London). You will need to buy a UK to Continental plug adapter as well; you can usually find themin UK airports or at Boots.

Hello! Thank you for this question. I too use a Revlon Roll Brush Dryer. I was wondering what you figured out. We are leaving for Italy in less than two weeks, and I am considering purchasing one there, but I don't know how to go about finding a store that sells such items. They are easy to find here in the states, but online, I am having trouble locating a store that sells 'roll brush hairdryers' in Italy.

I have been debating taking my Revlon Roll Brush to UK for our upcoming trip. When I was in Europe last summer, I purchased a roller brush and blew my hair out with the regular hair dryer provided by the hotel. The blow out was not as good as with my Revlon Roll Brush (and much more tiring) but it satisfied me for that one time. I may resort to this, again, to avoid the weight in my luggage. A few years back, I went to a stylist in a small town in England, but I won't have time on this trip.

Upon recommendation from my stylist, I sometimes will go 7+ days without shampooing (I'm a senior who doesn't sweat much) so I do not need to blow out often. I must do a tight topnot to sleep, and if working out or gardening. Dry shampoo as needed. I cannot have my hair down in the rain, or mist, or it will return to the natural curls with the frizzies (this will be hard in Scotland). I usually put it in the topnotch and cover with hood until inside a building. In the morning, I let my hair down and comb through with my fingers in just a minute or two. I find a slick scrunchy works the best to avoid indentation marks.

Last I knew, the EU was trying to standardize on 230V everywhere.

If I'm not mistaken it was standardised as 230 V in 2008. But there is a bit of tolerance and as you mentioned the voltage varies.

Sweden already had 230 V so not much happened here, but I don't know how much actually changed in other countries.

All of the hotels had dryers and all of them were very weak. My hair
is thick and a frizzy mess if I don't blow it out right.

If you can endure the hotel ones for a few days, I suggest you buy one in France. For both this trip and potential future trips, a dryer with a French plug will be less faff than one with a British plug.

2 out of 5 places we stayed in Norway this week didn't have hair dryers. I'm happy I brought my dual voltage dryer from home.

FYI, according to the Criteria Catalog of DEHOGA (German Hotel and Restaurant Assoc), any hotel, to have a rating of 3 or more star must provide a hair dryer.

That's the good news. The bad news is that probably less than half of all German hotels bother with stars. It's mostly the bigger, more expensive hotels that have stars. They use the stars to justify their higher price.

There are a plethora of small, less expensive, family run gasthaus(es) and pensions that don't bother with stars, but, although they may lack some of the amenities, are very nice. I attribute that phenomenon to the fact that, also according to DEHOGA, to have more than one star, the hotel has to except credit cards, and Germans have an aversion to credit cards. Many hotels in Germany are worthy of more than one star, so why make themselves appear to be only one star worthy just because the don't take credit cards.

I've stayed in many non-starred establishment that do provide hair dryers, but I've stayed in many that don't.

BTW, the DEHOGA star requirements are a very objective, quantifiable point system based on things like size of room, size of beds, whether there is a lobby with a desk and for how many hours a day it's manned , for how many hours room service is available, hair dryer provided, a shoe shine machine on the hall or in the room (more point for in the room). But any hotel, no matter how many stars, has to meet the same minimum requirement for cleanliness and maintenance.

It's not just the voltage. US electricity is 60 HZ (frequency) and Europe is 50 HZ. So a strictly US 110-120 v hairdryer will run slower and therefore less effectively anyway.

I saw what happened once when a fellow traveler refused to accept the warnings and plugged her US device in with just an adaptor. Not only did her hairdryer flame out, but the circuit blew and the outlet caught fire as well. The landlord was not happy. I think this is one reason they provide them in hotel rooms, so you wont plug-in that honking giant megawatt US hairdryer** and burn up their wiring.

** watts = voltage x amps, so your 110 v dryer will pull roughly twice the amps to deliver the same watts.

Not only did her hairdryer flame out, but the circuit blew and the
outlet caught fire as well. The landlord was not happy. I think this
is one reason they provide them in hotel rooms, so you wont plug-in
that honking giant megawatt US hairdryer** and burn up their wiring.
** watts = voltage x amps, so your 110 v dryer will pull roughly twice the amps to deliver the same watts.

Plugging in a North American hairdryer won't change the voltage in the outlet, it is still 230 V. Which as you noticed can result in some unwanted experiences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C-sYJmfeoE

Actually,

Amps = Voltage/Resistance, so

Watts = Voltage² / Resistance,

so assuming you don't have a slide switch to change the resistance, plugging your 115V hair dryer into 230V will produce 4 (2²) times the heat. If your hair dryer produces 1750W here, on 115V, it will produce 7000W on 230V and poof!

I noticed when I was there last year, women didn’t look ´doné with their hair styling. It was loose and natural, tied back and or beret/hat was worn.

You can buy one of these roller brush dryers in Europe. If you bought one in the United Kingdom, you would also need to make sure you buy a plug for it that can be used in Europe. I’ll be doing the same thing this year. I know Darcy an FNAC sell them in France but I don’t know where else on the continent you can buy them. There’s one on Amazon I think might be dual voltage but I can’t get confirmation so I’m just going to wait and buy in Paris.

( Yes people before you respond. I know the hotel has a normal hair dryer that’s not what we’re talking about. 😂)

Thanks, Carol! Can anyone share the name of a store in Milan, Italy (or Lake Como or Venice) that is similar to a Target? I would think they would sell these types of hair dryer brushes.