Doctors warn against using hair in public hand dryers as they're filled with poo particles

TikTok has become a new source of inspiration for many – and while the tips, tricks and hacks can be incredibly innovative, some are just straight bizarre.

There's a new trend sweeping the platform, which sees women heading to their local public bathrooms to achieve free hair blowouts. That's right. People are using hand dryers to mimic the effect of the TikTok-famous Dyson Airwrap.

Little do they know, these hand dryers have been revealed to be a breeding ground for bacteria and poo particles.

The original viral clip by @kiingliima captioned, "No one was harmed. Don't try this at home. Only available at your public restrooms, racked up a staggering 10.8 million views.

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It was immediately inundated with comments warning the woman against the brow-raising method, to which she later confirmed: "I did this for joke purposes."

Now understandably, a hair tool upwards of $500 can feel excessive for some, but there are plenty of other (sanitary) ways to achieve curls without the grossness. Some of which, you don't even have to use heat – added bonus.

The viral clip stunned the platform and encouraged them to collaborate to spread awareness about how unsanitary the "free blowout" is.

One MD candidate, @madmedicine, said: "I hate the be the bearer of bad news, but those hand dryers in public restrooms are extremely disgusting.

"There have been actual studies done on those hand dryers to see if they spread bacteria,

"Spoiler alert: They can spread more bacteria than just towels."

Another clip showcased a Petri dish filled with the findings – and the results were as vile as expected.

A study in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology exposed the dirty truth about hand dryers. They found that the hand dryer sucked up the bacteria from the bathroom's faeces-filled air before being blasted back onto clean hands while you dry.

Researchers inspected Petri dishes exposed to the bathroom dryer's hot air. In just 30 seconds, the bacteria grew up to 245 colonies compared to those left in the open.

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