Teen's Beauty Product Explodes, Blows Hole in Car Roof

Mom warns about keeping cans of dry shampoo, and other aerosol cans, away from heat
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 24, 2019 9:45 AM CDT
Gaping Hole in Car's Roof Blamed on Dry Shampoo
Pay attention to warning labels.   (Getty Images/EkaterinaZakharova)

Dry shampoo can be handy on the go, but that doesn't mean it should be stored in your car. A Missouri teen learned that the hard way after an aerosol can of dry shampoo exploded in her car's center console, smashed through the sunroof, and landed 50 feet away. "I really feel like I need to spread the word about this and hopefully prevent others from experiencing this damage or even injury," St. Louis' Christine Debrecht wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, a day after her husband discovered a hole in the 2018 Honda Civic hatchback belonging to their 19-year-old daughter, per ABC News. The teen soon realized the cause, noting the powdery white substance coating the inside of the console, which had been blown off its hinges as outside temperatures reached 90 degrees.

Fifty feet from the car was a bottomless can of Equate dry shampoo, which carried a warning that it "may explode if heated" and should be stored below 120 degrees. In a hot car, the can containing propane, butane, and alcohol had acted "like a small explosive device," Bryn Mawr College chemistry professor Michelle Francl tells the Washington Post, adding, "I would not have wanted to be in the car when that happened." Debrecht is thankful her daughter wasn't nearby, but she worries others will find themselves in a similar situation, as warnings on aerosol cans are easily overlooked. "At least if you are transporting butane or a propane tank you know it's dangerous and can take special safety precautions," she tells the Post. "This was a seemingly innocent can of dry shampoo." (More explosion stories.)

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