Warning over fake hair straighteners

Trading Standards officers have warned people about dangerous fake hair straighteners after a teenager was left with melted hair and a singed scalp. Rebecca Day, 17, from Braunstone Town, Leicester, chose the tongs, believing them to be GHD straighteners, from a website but was left in agony when she first used them. "These straighteners singed my hair and ripped it away from the roots," she said. "I was in agony."

"I had no reason to believe the straighteners were fake, as the website said they were an approved retailer and the pictures looked very convincing. The experience has put me off buying from a website - I will now go to a hairdresser's, where I know any products will be real."

Leicestershire Trading Standards, which has so far seized 40 sets of counterfeit straighteners, said some of them heat up to 285C (545F) - hot enough to melt human hair and seriously burn someone's scalp. The fakes are modelled on GHD straighteners, however it is important that the popular products are purchased from GHD-approved retailers.

Product testing experts, TÜV Product Service suggest that UK consumers do not pay enough attention to the products that they purchase, often choosing the cheapest product or reseller, in favour of a reputable brand or an authorised reseller. Consumers often assume that a product is genuine because it displays a CE marking or approval marks, not realising that the markings on the product are also fake.

"We regularly see counterfeit products coming in to our laboratory.  Although, from the outside they may look like the genuine product, its what you can't see inside that is the scariest thing. These kinds of products pose a real safety risk, in this case exposing the user to damaging temperatures and in other cases we see the risk of electric shock from poor wiring, insulation or design." Mark Penton, Product Safety Expert, TÜV Product Service.

Other problems with counterfeit products are the substances used in manufacture, which may contain substances harmful to humans. "The product manufacturers are required to meet REACh regulations which make sure that substances which are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic are not used in the supply chain. Unfortunately, counterfeit products sometimes use these chemicals and can pose a health risk," said Richard Poate, Compliance Services Manager at TÜV Product Service. "Some products do still find their way on to our shelves, so retailers and resellers should watch out for the weekly European RAPEX report containing items removed from sale in the EU for failing to meet regulations."

TÜV Product Service's advice to consumers is not to panic as the vast majority of products that they use are safe and do genuinely comply with safety standards. However, if they are really concerned about a product's safety, they should contact the customer service department of the retailer from which they purchased the item or alternatively contact their local Trading Standards officers. If in doubt about safety before purchasing a product, we always recommend that consumers should spend the extra pound and buy a recognised brand, from a reputable retailer.