Federal safety regulators are telling consumers to stop using a group of hair dryer brushes sold online this spring because the devices lack an integrated immersion protection device, the component that cuts power if an appliance contacts water. There is no refund available because the seller has not agreed to a recall.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the brushes violate the federal regulations for hair dryers and present a substantial product hazard. The agency said the seller, DEISNGB of China, has been unresponsive to requests for a recall or information about the product. It also notified TikTok Shop of Los Angeles, which has not agreed to recall the products or offer a remedy.
The products are black and pink hot air brushes with black bristles and three speed and three temperature settings. The packaging carries "One Step," "Hot Air Brush," and either model number HG-S-01 or UPC 6931215105713. They were sold on Walmart.com as a DEISNGB professional hair dryer brush and on Shop.TikTok.com as a one-step hair dryer brush with a negative ion generator, from March through April 2026 for between $18 and $28. They were manufactured in China.
The Component That Was Left Out
An immersion protection device is a circuit interrupter built into the plug or the appliance itself. It monitors for the current imbalance that occurs when electricity finds a path to ground through water, and it disconnects power in a fraction of a second. Manufacturers use a ground-fault circuit interrupter, an appliance-leakage circuit interrupter, or an immersion-detection circuit interrupter.
The bathroom is why this exists. A hair dryer plugged into an outlet near a filled sink or tub is one of the few household appliances routinely used within arm's reach of standing water, and the protection has to work whether the switch is on or off, because a dryer sitting unused on a counter is still energized.
That requirement is not a suggestion. The voluntary standard UL 859 was revised in 1985 to require protection with the switch in the off position, a change that took effect in October 1987. A further revision requiring protection in both the on and off positions took effect on Jan. 1, 1991. In 2011, the agency made the absence of that protection a federal matter by placing hand-supported hair dryers without integral immersion protection on the Substantial Product Hazard List.
Evidence That the Requirement Worked
The historical record on this one component is unusually clear, which is what makes a 2026 warning notable.
Federal figures cited in that rulemaking show 110 electrocutions from hair dryer immersion or water contact between 1980 and 1986, before the initial requirements took effect, for an annual average of 15.7. Between 1987 and 1990, after the first UL change, 39 such electrocutions were reported, an annual average of 9.75. From 1991 through 1997, immediately after the stronger requirement took effect, the total fell to 12, an annual average of 1.71. Three electrocutions were reported from 1998 through 2007, and the agency found none in the data it reviewed for 2006 through 2010.
Reported shock injuries followed the same trajectory. Of 43 electric shock injuries from hair dryer immersion or water contact reported between 1984 and 2004, 33 occurred before 1990, compared with seven from 1991 through 1997 and three from 1998 through 2004.
The agency now describes the average number of reported hand-supported hair dryer electrocution deaths as less than one per year, against an estimated 23 million units sold annually.
That history sets the context for the current warning. The engineering problem was solved decades ago, and the fix costs very little. What has changed is the distribution channel. A product manufactured abroad and sold directly to American consumers through an online marketplace can reach households without passing the checkpoints that once caught noncompliant appliances at import or retail.
Households That Should Look Twice
The risk is not evenly distributed, and it concentrates where these products are actually used.
Homes without ground-fault circuit-interrupter outlets in the bathroom face the greatest exposure, because a GFCI in the wall provides a second layer of protection when the appliance provides none. Bathroom receptacles have required ground-fault protection under the National Electrical Code since its 1975 edition, so older housing that has not been rewired or renovated may lack them, and local adoption of each code edition often lagged by years. Renters generally cannot change that.
Households with young children warrant particular attention, given the historical pattern of immersion incidents. So do multigenerational households where a styling tool bought by one person is used by several, and anyone who received one of these brushes as a gift and never saw the packaging.
The agency has not reported any injuries connected to these specific brushes. This is a warning about a missing safety feature and a regulatory violation, not a report of harm.
Disposal, and the Limits of Enforcement
Federal officials advise unplugging the extension cord, cutting it, and disposing of the brush. Cutting the cord is the operative step, because it prevents someone from retrieving a working appliance from the trash. Consumers should not sell or give away the products.
Consumers who paid for one of these brushes have no remedy through the agency. Anyone who bought through Walmart.com or TikTok Shop can pursue a refund through the platform's own return or purchase protection process, or dispute the charge with their payment provider, though neither is guaranteed.
Identifying a compliant replacement is straightforward. A hair dryer that meets the standard has a large block-shaped plug incorporating a circuit interrupter, usually with test and reset buttons, and carries the certification mark of a recognized testing laboratory. Anyone who has experienced a shock, tingle, or burning sensation from a styling tool should stop using it and report the incident to SaferProducts.gov, which helps the agency identify patterns. Someone who has been shocked and has chest pain, an irregular heartbeat, burns, confusion, or muscle weakness needs urgent medical evaluation because electrical injury can affect the heart even when skin damage looks minor.
The warning is numbered 26-680. The agency has not indicated whether it will pursue further action against the seller or the platform, and warnings involving unresponsive overseas sellers have become a recurring feature of marketplace enforcement.
Key Questions Answered
Which products are covered? Black and pink one-step hot air brushes with model number HG-S-01 or UPC 6931215105713 on the packaging, sold as DEISNGB on Walmart.com and as a one-step hair dryer brush on Shop.TikTok.com.
When were they sold? From March through April 2026, for between $18 and $28.
What is an immersion protection device? A built-in circuit interrupter that cuts power in a fraction of a second if the appliance contacts water. The applicable safety standard has required it since the late 1980s.
Is there a refund? No. The seller has not agreed to a recall, and the platform has not offered a remedy. Buyers can try the marketplace's return process or a payment dispute.
What should owners do? Stop using the brush, unplug it, cut the cord, and dispose of it. Do not sell or give it away.
How can a safe replacement be identified? Look for a block-shaped plug with test and reset buttons and the certification mark of a recognized testing laboratory.
Have injuries been reported? Not for these specific products. The warning concerns the missing safety feature and the violation of federal regulations.
