The idea is that by heating the darts you can cause the air trapped inside the foam (it's closed-cell) to expand and the dart forms back to its original shape.
If you're not careful, yes you can melt darts. I've heard of people finding melted dart in their pants after laundry mishaps.
To be perfectly honest it would be easier, simpler, and safer to just go and buy new ones. Offbrand is a great idea, look for "Adventure Force" waffle head darts at Walmart. They're green with blue heads and they're better than hasbro's. Performance is comparable to Accustrike.