Hair drug testing

Hair drug testing

Browse our hair follicle shampoos to pass hair drug tests. For an explanation of some of the terms used please see our Drug Test Glossary. Also see pass a hair drug test, Drug test detection times and Drug testing cutoff levels

Hair drug testing is quite accurate. Dependent on the length of the hair strand and the concentration and frequency of drug use it could go back as long as 6 months.

Hair drug testing does have a number of downsides; 1. Persons of color tend to test innacurately; 2. You can test positive even if you are in the presence of marijuana without even using it.

Accredited labs test the hair sample about .5 inches from the scalp and discard the remaining hair. This generally gives a drug use history of about 30 days.

Hair drug tests generally need about 50 strands of hair. The hair sample should be collected at an accredited lab with full chain of custody documentation. The hair is then sealed into a container until the hair drug test is performed. The hair drug test itself involves dissolving the hair in some type of chemical which will release toxins in the hair. The toxins are then analyzed for drug use.

A few hair drug test facts:

RIAH (Radioimmunoassay of hair)
RIAH measures the drug molecules permanently entrapped in the hair following ingestion.

How sensitive is hair testing in detecting drug users?
Hair testing can be as much as 5-10 times more effective in identifying drug users than urinalysis.

What drugs are included in a standard test?
Cocaine , marijuana, opiates, amphetamines and barbituates. Essentially the NIDA 5.

Can body hair be drug tested like hair from the head?
Body hair can be drug tested just as hair from the head.

How much hair is needed?
A standard screen with GC/MS confirmation requires 40+ milligrams of hair or approximately 50 - 70 strands that are up to 3.9cm (or 1.5 inches) in length. The thickness and pigment color of different types of head hair (thick black vs. thinning gray) is the basis of this variation.

What are my chances of being hair drug tested?

No one can give you an absolute answer to that question.

But, hair drug testing has grown in popularity even though it is relatively more expensive. The primary reasons for this are that the hair drug test is hard to beat, the hair drug test is less invasive and the hair drug test can detect drug usage over a greater amount of time. Another reason is that hair drug testing is not affected by a brief abstinence of drug use.

If you are in an environment where drug testing is practiced you may very soon have to take a hair drug test.