As I explained in my review of V05 Hot Oil Moisturizing, I've been dealing with the effects of a botched haircut since last spring. The wretched stylist cut my hair on such a blunt angle that my curls refuse to take shape. I've been forced to flat iron my hair every day.

It takes a powerful straightening iron to tame my thick locks. For the past 3 years, I've relied on Farouk's CHI flat iron, a styling tool heavy weight with a heavy price tag of $100.

Imagine my devastation one morning when my dependable CHI just stopped working. I hadn't budgeted $100 for a flat iron, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

SAVE your money on a CHI flat iron and SPEND it on a GVP iron instead. I drove to the nearest Sally Beauty Supply. The associate explained the company did not carry CHI flat irons, but they did have Generic Value Products' straight irons in stock. She said GVP straightening irons were basically a generic version of the CHI iron and that some stylists actually preferred the GVP iron.

I'm no dummy. The associate may have had my best hair interests in mind, but she was still a saleswoman.  It was the price tag that persuaded me at $60.

I drove straight home and turned the iron on to its highest setting, 410 degrees. It was warm to the touch in a matter of seconds. I separated my hair into three sections and started straightening.

Lucky for me, the GVP iron worked even better than my CHI. I saved $40, and I replaced my boring black flat iron with a pretty, pink one.

SAVE your money on a CHI flat iron and SPEND it on a GVP iron instead. If you're not into metallic pink like me, the iron also comes in a rose-pattern and traditional black.