North Yorkshire hairdresser unveils new burn prevention product

A hairdresser based in North Yorkshire has designed and created a new product to prevent the dangers surrounding intensely hot hair styling tools.

The DAIO™ is a holder made from high quality silicone that will sustain a temperature of 300°C, therefore straightening irons and curling tongs are now able to be stored safely whilst heating up, during use and cooling down.

The DAIO™, designed and manufactured entirely in the UK, also protects furniture from scorch marks and more significant fire damages.

Created by Knaresborough hairdresser David Audsley, who has appeared in numerous hair magazines and has worked alongside hair product companies, created the product to store more heated hairstylers safely away from his young children while combining function, safety and style.

David, an entrepreneurial professional hairdresser who opened his first salon in 1999, created the DAIO™ using technologically advanced materials to allow heated appliances cool safely.

David said: “Originally I was inspired because my wife wanted to be able to store her straighteners somewhere neat and tidy but, more importantly, so they were out of harm’s way of our two young children.

“Almost one in 10 of all child burns each year are caused by electrically heated hair appliances and there has been a 16 per cent increase in domestic fire insurance claims directly attributable to heated hair straighteners or appliances.

“Hair straightening irons take as little as 15 seconds to reach a maximum heat of 230°C – but up to 40 minutes to be touch safe. I wanted to create a storage device which protects the things you love – whether it’s children, pets or furniture.”

A donation of £1 from every DAIO™ sold in the UK will go to the Child Accident Prevention Trust to help prevent more accidents in the near future.

David added: “Our aim is to reduce child burns caused by hair styling appliances to 1 in 500 – or better – and to reverse the upward trend in house fires and property damage attributable to straighteners. The DAIO™ protects children and pets from serious burns, safeguards your furniture from scorch marks, gives you peace of mind when you are out of the house and is a stylish place to store your appliances.”