My hair dryer burned me!

I was blow drying my hair this evening and suddenly there was a loud pop. Fire shot out of the side of my hair dryer and burned me. It actually charred an area on the side of my hand. It's quite painful. I'm am using an ice compress while typing this. Has this ever happened to anyone else? My hair is long and thick, but I'll probably let it dry natural from now on...

I had a hair dryer burn out in the past six months. No damage to me but the dryer was fried-it was a few years old. Did you keep the air vents clean as mine would clog up with fuzz all the time.

OUCH! Sorry to hear you got burned! I have testers on my bathroom outlets that if the hairdryer gets too hot, it shuts off.
for hand!!!

Great ZOT!!! That's no mere fat spatter. Sounds as if it should be seen by a doctor.

Makes me greatful I never used a blow drier even when my hair was long (so dry it would have been impossible to deal with).

Take care of that hand, hear?

Run cool water over your hand, maybe the charred area is just smoke residue. Is your hand blistered? Is is just red after you rinse it off? Is it still charred looking?

If your hand is just red, it is a first degree burn and will get better fairly quickly without medical attention.

If your hand is blistered, it is a second degree burn that needs to be kept clean and watched for infection.

If your the skin on your hand is charred, then you need to see a doctor very soon. It is a third degree burn which is serious.

Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN

If your the skin on your hand is charred, then you need to see a doctor very soon. It is a third degree burn which is serious.

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Generally one does not feel pain with a third degree burn. What makes them so serious is the depth and extent of the burn kills nerves - the same nerves that are responsible for pain.

So no pain with a burn = third degree.
Pain with it = first or second.

Though if the burn is large enough getting it checked would be a good idea. I'm pretty sure she knows all of this if she is a nurse.

How old was that blow dryer anyways? If under a year and you have any of the packaging, or better yet the receipt, you may be able to get it replaced. If it's fairly new it should be reported as there may be something wrong with others.

Originally Posted by nurseangel

I was blow drying my hair this evening and suddenly there was a loud pop. Fire shot out of the side of my hair dryer and burned me. It actually charred an area on the side of my hand. It's quite painful. I'm am using an ice compress while typing this. Has this ever happened to anyone else? My hair is long and thick, but I'll probably let it dry natural from now on...

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Ouch!

I haven't had that problem with a hair dryer, but years ago I used to use one of those cordless butane curling irons.

One evening as I was getting ready to go out and was curling my hair, my hair caught on fire!!! Hair goes up in flames pretty fast, and I was smacking at my head trying to put out the flames. My ear was burned and a large patch of hair on the side of my head was rather singed.

What type of hair dryer? Is it under warranty? Has it been over heating?

Notify the manufacturer about it. They might have to do a recall.

Ouch!! I would definitely contact the manufacturer.

Mine sometimes sparks And the air that comes out is hot enough to hurt.

Thank you for the vibes and also the advice. I really don't see a lot of flame burns - the worst I've seen was in an arsonist who was treated at the burn center in Chapel Hill until he was well enough to start serving his sentence. Of course, mine isn't nearly that serious...once I worked up the nerve to clean my hand up and look at it, there is only some swelling and scorch marks. The hair dryer was several years only, but we'd only started using it recently. It was a Christmas gift that sat in the box in the closet for a long time. Once again, thanks for the education in burns. I'm more of a drug and alcohol detox nurse. The hair dryer is a Remington Vortex Jet Speed. I emailed the manufacter and am thinking about calling them tomorrow. I would really hate to see this happen to someone else, because it honestly felt like the thing was exploding in my hand.

Ouch! Thats super scary! Lots of healing for your hand!

That's terrifying! You are so lucky it was your hand, and not your eyes... I hate to think what might've happened! Definitely inform the manufacturer -- they may need to recall those things.

Hope your hand heals quickly...

I contacted Remington and got a very concerned email in response. I think they are afraid I'm going to sue, which I'm not...They are sending a UPS Call Tag so I can return the hair dryer and they can inspect it. They are going to send me a newer model (now that I'm afraid to dry my hair, lol). I do hope they recall the type I have, because it was almost as if something exploded inside of it.

Originally Posted by nurseangel

I contacted Remington and got a very concerned email in response. I think they are afraid I'm going to sue, which I'm not...They are sending a UPS Call Tag so I can return the hair dryer and they can inspect it. They are going to send me a newer model (now that I'm afraid to dry my hair, lol). I do hope they recall the type I have, because it was almost as if something exploded inside of it.

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Glad that you are alerting the company!! That was such a dangerous thing to have happen!! Sending prayers and vibes that you make a complete recovery