Easy Fixes for Hair Appliances

Don't let a faulty appliance interfere with your daily hair care regime. Keep your appliances in top working order--and your hair looking its best--with these hair care appliance tips and tricks.

Remove tangled hair from the fan

Every time you use your dryer, its fan pulls dirt, dust and loose hair into the machine. These will eventually accumulate and slow the fan mechanism — your dryer may then overheat and blow its element. Prevent problems by cleaning the fan from time to time.

1. Switch off and unplug the hair dryer. If it's hot, let it cool down, then use a flat-bladed screwdriver to pry open the casing or remove the screws holding the casing together.
2. Use tweezers to pull out any hairs wrapped around the fan or motor (especially its spindle) and to pick off any hair or debris trapped elsewhere within the casing. If there is a removable filter, take it out and rinse it in warm water then leave to dry completely.
3. Dust inside the casing with a soft paintbrush and vacuum the grille of the air intake vent, scrubbing it gently with an old toothbrush. Reassemble the hair dryer.

Use a towel to remove baked-on hair products

The ceramic plates of your hair straightener will pick up the residue of hair-care products every time they are used. The products can fuse to the plates, and over time build up into a thick film that stops heat from reaching (and straightening) your hair.

To clean the plates, switch on the straighteners and use them on a damp towel, gripping and sliding along the towel as if it were your hair.

This should shift most of built-up residue, but if some remains, allow the plates to cool and rub their surfaces with a rag dipped in ceramic-oven cleaner. Wipe the cleaner off with a damp cloth before using the straighteners on your hair.

Clean and oil the blades

Electric hair-clipper blades are self-sharpening, so if your blades are dull, it is probably because the clippers are dirty.

Remove the blades unit from the clippers; dip an old toothbrush in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and gently scrub the blades. Place a couple of drops of blade oil (or light machine oil) onto the blades and run the clippers for 10 minutes — they'll sharpen themselves.

Be sure to brush any debris from the blades after every use to keep them in good working order.