No-Shampoo Movement Offers New Alternative For Cleaning Hair

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Imagine going a week, even a month, without using shampoo to wash your hair.

Though it may seem odd at first, ditching shampoo for "cleaner" hair products is actually part of a growing trend -- what some have playfully dubbed the 'no-poo movement.'

Instead of using detergent-based shampoos, the hair is instead cleaned with natural oils and products -- no suds included, CBS2's Meg Baker reported.

Tori Piskin says shampoo made her hair unmanageable, but 'no-poo' treatments tamed it.

"It saved my life - like my hair life, not my life, but my hair's because I didn't know what to do with it," Piskin said.

The 'no-poo' trend started at Deva Curl Salon in SoHo. Stylists at the salon saw that shampoo detergents were stripping the hair of natural oils, so they developed chemical-free products they say restore the hair's natural balance.

Tiffany Fisk makes her own homemade concoction, using baking soda and apple cider vinegar mixed with water to clean her hair.

"It's been working better for my hair, my hairs been responding better and it just seems to be more lively and more full," Fisk said

Some experts welcome the new trend.

"I think this is a really nice healthy option to consider and to try," Dr. Jessica Weiser, of the NY Determatology Group, said. "I think a lot of people would benefit from it and see nice improvements and results from it."

But other say detergent-free products can't possibly clean as well as their shampoo counterparts -- and that could mean big trouble for your skin.

"It's gonna cause havoc with the Ph balance of the scalp, cause dryness, irritation," Robert Dorin, a hair restoration expert, said. "It could incite inflammation which could incite hair shedding."

Experts say it could take two to three months for people to see the full affects of the treatment when switching to shampoo-free methods.