Can You Take Hairspray on A Plane?

My wife couldn’t travel without her hairspray. She would rather leave me behind than not take her favorite hairspray with her. But can you bring hairspray on a plane, and if so, where can you pack it?

To ensure that you don’t have your hairspray confiscated by a security agent, which happens quite frequently, it is important to know the full regulations before you pack.

You will find a full description of the TSA hairspray rules regarding taking hairspray in carry on and checked bags below.

The Quick Answer: TSA rules allow you to bring hairspray on a plane in both carry on and checked bags. If you want to take hairspray in your carry on, it will have to be no larger than 3.4oz/100ml in order to take it through the TSA security checkpoint, due to the TSA liquids rule. You can take larger size hairspray in checked luggage.

Can you take hairspray through airport security?

If you want to take your hairspray in carry-on bags, you will need to get it through the airport security checkpoint first, and for that, you need to know what size of hairspray you can carry on a plane.

Hairsprays tend to come in two forms:

• Aerosols containing hairspray
• Pump action liquid hairspray

Regardless of your hairspray type, both are treated as liquids as far as TSA hairspray rules are concerned, so you must comply with the liquids rules described below.

When taking your carry on through airport security, you are limited to a maximum size of 3.4oz/100ml per liquid item and these have to fit in one quart-sized clear, resealable plastic bag.

You can take larger hairsprays in your checked bags as, fortunately, the regulations apply to checked bags are much more lenient so you will be safe packing whatever hairspray and other toiletries you may need for your vacation or business trip.

@AskTSA service

The TSA offers a really helpful service on Twitter where you can ask an airport security question and get an answer straight from the horse’s mouth to be sure you won’t make any mistakes.

This is one example of someone being unsure so are asking can you fly with hairspray and the answer shows the TSA hairspray rules:

Can you take hairspray in carry on?

What size hairspray can you take on a plane? As stated above, there is a limit of 3.4oz/100ml for any item containing liquids, including hairsprays, whether in a bottle, push spray, or aerosol.

This applies when taking them through airport security in your hand luggage, where they must also be placed in a quart-sized, clear, resealable plastic container – available on Amazon.

To take hairspray in your carry on bag with you to use during the journey, you have two options:

• Buy a travel size hairspray that you can take through airport security
• Buy a larger hairspray in a store at the airport after you pass through airport security if the airport you are flying from is large enough to have them.

Can you use hairspray on a plane?

Obviously, you can only use hairspray on board if you take a small can through airport security in your carry-on baggage or buy one in a store at the airport once you pass through the security checkpoint.

You are permitted to use hairspray during the flight, but you should be mindful of the other passengers around you as hairspray tends to go over more than your hair when used. I suggest the best place to use it is in the aircraft restroom.

Can you put hairspray in checked luggage?

Transportation Security Administration rules state that you can pack your hair spray in checked baggage without worrying too much, as the regulations about what liquids you can take in checked baggage are much less stringent than those that apply to carry-on luggage.

Any aerosol cans, including aerosol hairspray or non-aerosol hairspray, packed in checked baggage must have a protective cap fitted to prevent accidental discharge during the flight, which could be a hazard. This is stated in regulation: 49 CFR 175.10(a)(1)

There are limits, so you cannot take a suitcase full of aerosol hairspray on a plane.

The TSA website states that “toiletry-type aerosols,” which include aerosol hairsprays, are carried in checked baggage must not exceed 70oz (2070ml) in total and no container should be larger than 18oz (532ml).

When in checked baggage, it is also a requirement that hair spray and any other aerosol spray have their cap in place to ensure they cannot be accidentally discharged in flight.

You can, of course, always buy some hairspray at your destination.

Can you take aerosol hairspray on a plane?

The rules apply to all types of delivery systems for hairsprays – either hairsprays in aerosol cans or non-aerosol hairsprays such as pump hairspray that don’t use a propellant.

As stated above, you can only take aerosol hairspray in carry on if the container is no larger than 3.4 ounces and it must be placed in your one quart size liquid bag to pass through security. Larger aerosol hairspray can be packed in checked bags.

You can buy larger aerosol hairspray in stores at the airport after passing through the security checkpoint and take those on board with you.

Will hairspray aerosol cans explode on a plane?

Many people are confused about this and believe that aerosol cans, not just aerosol hairsprays, are prohibited in checked luggage if they explode. This is untrue as it is the amount of liquid contained in them that is restricted not the type of delivery system.

You can read in my article Will aerosol cans explode in checked bags, which explains exactly why won’t hairspray explode?

Can you take other hair styling products on a plane?

The same TSA rules regarding liquids that apply to hairsprays also apply to other hair products such as hair mousse, shampoo and conditioner.

Summary

The TSA will allow you to bring hairspray on a plane in both carry on and checked bags. But if you want to take hairspray in your carry on, it will have to be no larger than 3.4oz/100ml to take it through the TSA security checkpoint, due to the TSA liquids rule. You can take larger size hairspray in checked luggage.

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