A little free association. What comes to mind when you hear the word "hairspray?"

a) Your high school prom
b) 1950's beehive hairdos, or 1980's "big hair" and bands like Poison
c) The Broadway musical starring Harvey Fierstein
d) A must have styling product

Honestly, I'm pretty sure you didn't say (d). Most of us think hairspray is for grannies, proms, and David Lee Roth. However, science has come a long way since the days of the beehive, and today's hairsprays are more versatile and flexible, and less like shellac. So save yourself from flyaways, flat hair, and frizz. Get over the stigma, and go buy a good hairspray.

Better yet, buy one that's NOT in a hideous neon-colored can that you'll feel compelled to hide under the sink.

Cibu's Pho Finish does everything you'd expect a good hairspray to do - fixes flyaways, tames cowlicks, keeps curls and waves from going flat, adds shine, and provides flexible hold without being "crunchy" - and it's housed in an understated, elegant bronze can imprinted with a Vuitton-esque monogram pattern.

While Pho Finish is an excellent overall finishing spray and keeps your mane from looking ragged at the end of the day, its sweet spot is as a styling aid for straightening irons. I read this suggestion on the package insert and was quite dubious, but after testing it out I must say that it works better than any straightening serum I've ever used. Mist a little on dry hair, comb through, and then go to work with the iron (I emphatically recommend the T3). With Pho Finish, I can straighten my hair in half the time, and it's still sleek at the end of the day.

Pho Finish is a limited edition item from Cibu, a line which uses natural ingredients like bamboo, lotus and water lily in its cleverly named products (love the cheeky Asian names - Sake to Me shampoo, Sticky Rice pomade, Miso Knotty detangler). So free yourself from your Aqua Net prejudices! This spray is as modern as you are.

Available at www.cibuinternational.com.