A friend of mine is taking to the skies tomorrow morning, and she’s apprehensive about taking her hairspray in her carry-on luggage (she’s afraid they may not allow it, as it could be considered dangerous due to its flammability). So she says she’d feel much better overall just leaving it in her suitcase in the baggage compartment. The thing is, neither of us knows whether it can handle the pressure change or not in there. So what’s the scoop? Will it do just fine, or will the pressurized contents make it explode?
Well, after rummaging around for a while, the best I can do is tell you (a) don’t take it in the cabin because sudden decompression can cause it to explode, and (b) some planes have pressurized baggage holds, and some don’t.
Traveler’s tip: Anything that you think might not handle the lower pressure (such as pens, toothpaste, etc.) put in Zip-Loc bags. That way, if it leaks it doesn’t get all over your stuff.
I’ve packed things similar to hairspray before in the checked luggage, never with any incident.