What do I need to be able to use my USA hair straightening iron in the UK?

Your best bet is to buy a travel one in the uk and then you can also use it to travel with in the us since it will come with adaptor plugs. Its what I did on my trip to London (I bought a blow dryer at Boots) and am glad I got it because I am going on my 3rd UK trip next month, and can still use it at home if my regular one burns out, since it came with adaptor plugs for america.

Alot of straightening irons burn out, even dual voltage. Plus, it will have to be on a lower setting and it just wont get hot enough to really help with the damp UK weather..

Look at www.superdrug.com and you can see that you can get a straightening iron for about 5 pounds. Or www.boots.com. And these drug stores are literally Everywhere, most tube stations have one or one near them.

Since your device says it will only take input up to 120 volts, you'll need a converter to change the 240V UK current to 120V. Be sure to get the type converter made for heating appliances (there are two types, one for electronics and another for heating devices like hair dryers and curling/flat irons).

Unless your converter has it built into it, you'll also need a plug adapter that lets your converter plug into the strange (to us) UK wall sockets. The converter will need to accept your USA plug (our familiar 2 flat prongs) then it will need to plug into the UK socket.

You will need both a converter and plug adapter. It needs to be a high wattage converter that has a capacity equal to or higher than the iron wattage requirement. However, converters do not work well with high wattage requirements so the performance probably will be less than it is in the US. It probably would be smarter to look for a dual voltage iron in the US since high wattage converter will be heavy and expensive. Also consider buying one in the UK. It could be cheaper in the long run.

Thanks for the quick response guys.. do i get these at a travel store? best buy? any recommendations?

I'd have to agree that buying there is much easier. That way you KNOW it will work. I've had friends that still wrecked theirs even with the adaptors and converters. Boots is an amazing store and that's where I got mine.

From what's been posted here in the past, even with a converter and adaptor plugs, straightening irons can still be ruined, even if they are designed for dual voltage, which yours is not. Best bet, as others have said, is to buy one there.

"Better yet to just buy a nice new travel appliance over there, cheaper, too!"

It sounds strange to my ear to hear that, considering the low dollar, you can buy it cheaper over there. Does anybody have any actual figures on what a proper converter + a plug adapter would cost here, vs. what, after changing your money to Pounds or Euros, it will cost over there to buy a straighting iron?

I used this mini dual voltage Sedu in Switzerland and Italy, and it worked great. Still needed a plug adapter of course. It is tiny, so it worked well on my short, fine hair, but if you have tons of hair, it probably isn't a good option. I know Sedu irons are expensive, so if this would work at all, you might want to consider it over frying a full-size Sedu. My friend, who has quite a bit of thick wavy hair also used it and found it worked quite well.

Sedu Travel Iron

Superdrug sells small flat irons under their name for about 5 pounds. That comes to about $8, $9. WOrth it if you plan to visit other UK places eventually since you only have to buy it once and it will work much better than trying to convert a US one which have horrible reputations for burning out even dual voltage ones.

Tami: "Superdrug sells small flat irons under their name for about 5 pounds."

That sure sounds like the way to go then, unless Joy has other things that will need a power converter also. For about 5 pounds, she could buy one then carry it home for her next UK trip.

Only drawback might be the requirement to go shopping as soon as she gets there, but I've heard that some people actually enjoy shopping.

Buy one there. That way, you are sure it works and it probably is cheaper than buying an inverter.

Constantly repeating "buy it there" doesn't completely answer the questions. I doubt if it will be cheaper but it could be if you consider all options. I did a quick search found that you can buy a 1600 watt converter in the range of $10 to $15. BUT that might not be enough. My wife's hair dryer draws 1875 watts.

So, Joy, you need to know your wattage requirements. In my quick search I did not find a converter over 1600 watts but I am sure they exist. Second what is the price of the Sedu? Even with the appropriate converter it might still damage the iron. Under those conditions it would be cheaper if had to replace your iron.

Some time last year someone explained the physics behind converting voltage and why it can potentially damage high wattage items. Has to do with the way the voltage is clipped. You have two safe choices -- buy a dual voltage unit in the US and live with lower performance or buy something when you get there. Obviously most people vote for the latter.

Thank you all for your suggestions, appreciate it!

This past summer I bought a cheap (less than $20) dual voltage travel flat iron at a grocery store for a trip to London. Used it everyday with an outlet adaptor and didn't have any problems. It worked great! I figured for only $20 if it died, I wasn't out much and if it worked, I didn't have to spend precious travel time shopping for a flat iron.

Everyone has missed the obvious, what you really will need is your hair.