I would suggest, however, that any heat lamp will reach temperatures on its surface that can cause severe burns. Any heat lamp bulb should only be used in a device that provides a guard of some sort over and around the bulb...
thanks for all your comments, I don't have an infrared bulb at the moment but I just thought it might be a cheaper option than buying an infrared lamp (always trying to get a bargain)! but I don't want to do anything thats not completely safe.