Hair dryers and hot brushes: what UK safety reports found in 2026, and the US immersion rule

On October 22, 2026, the UK's Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) published a report on a gray and pink hair dryer described as a "Leafless Hair Dryer", which local trading standards officers had turned back at the border. OPSS recorded the dryer as counterfeit and rated its fire risk as serious. It was the second dryer by that name to be stopped this year, and one of eight UK notices on hair dryers and hot-air stylers published in 2026 that we read. In the US, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on September 10 two recalls of hair dryer brushes sold on Amazon, both for a missing safety feature that federal rules have singled out since 2011.

What UK inspectors found

In every case below, OPSS says the product failed the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, and in five cases also the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994. All eight were made in China. All eight were notified by local authority trading standards. Seven record imports rejected at the border; the eighth is a recall by the retailer Aldi.

By our reading, five of the eight cases involve the plug or its fuse. OPSS explains why the filler matters: the granular material inside a fuse, also called ballast, lets it work safely when a fault occurs, and without it the plug may overheat, explode or catch fire. A plug face that does not meet BS 1363 cannot make a secure connection with the socket, according to the October report.

Two cases describe a different fault. The Feixianghang and Opolo dryers, both listed with Amazon product identifiers, kept their motors running when the airflow was restricted, and OPSS says the resulting heat could ignite nearby materials or set the dryer on fire. Their model numbers, IN11-B007 and IN11-B001, share a prefix, but the reports name different companies and do not say whether the two are related.

The US rule: immersion protection

US federal rules approach hair dryers from a different angle. Under 16 CFR 1120.3(a), part of the CPSC's substantial product hazard list, a hand-supported hair dryer that lacks integral immersion protection meeting section 5 of the UL 859 standard, or section 6 of UL 1727 for commercial models, is deemed a substantial product hazard. The rule defines such a dryer as one held in one hand that blows air over or through its own heating element to dry hair. Listed products are subject to the law's reporting and recall provisions and must be refused entry into the US, according to the rule, first published on June 28, 2011, and still in the 2025 edition of the Code of Federal Regulations, the latest we read.

Our search of the CPSC's recall database for "hair dryer", run on November 12, 2026, returns ten recalls announced since January 2025, by our count; searches the same day for "hairdryer" and "blow dryer" added none. In all ten, the CPSC's recall record says the dryer lacks immersion protection and could cause electrocution or shock if it falls into water while plugged in.

The two September recalls also describe overheating. The Wantefully notice reports one dryer overheating and melting, and the DHASUWT notice 10 incidents of smoking or fire, with no injuries in either. The two brushes were recalled by different companies, Guang Zhou Shi Wan Te Fu Ke Ji You Xian Gong Si and Shenzhen Weihua Chenyu Technology. By our comparison of the two records, both carry the model number XR-8801; the notices do not link the two recalls or say whether the brushes are the same product.

What the notices tell owners

Aldi's recall notice, as published by OPSS, tells owners of the Ambiano dryers to stop using them and return them to an Aldi store for a full refund. The other UK reports record products stopped at the border or withdrawn, and do not address owners. The two US recall notices from September tell owners to unplug the brushes, stop using them and contact the firm for a refund; both ask owners to cut the power cord and send a photo of the destroyed product. In the US, the CPSC asks people to report unsafe products at SaferProducts.gov.

What the records leave out

The eight UK notices are the ones we read, not a complete list of OPSS's 2026 notices on hair dryers. The UK reports give no unit numbers, and where an import was rejected they do not say whether the same dryers were already on sale. The October report marks the leafless dryer as counterfeit without naming the product it copies. The US table relies on a keyword search, so a recall that does not use the words "hair dryer" may be missing from it. Neither regulator's records say anything about how well these dryers dry hair.

How this guide was put together: we read the eight OPSS notices listed above, the text of 16 CFR part 1120 on govinfo, and the CPSC's recall data for the US recalls. We have not tested any hair dryer.