A hair follicle drug test requires a sample of head hair, which needs to be at least 1.5 inches long and have the thickness of a pencil. It cannot be collected from a brush or other source. Body hair can be used instead of head hair if it is short or shaved. Body hair grows slower than head hair, offering a longer time frame for drug use than head hair analysis.
Hair follicle drug testing is a way to detect the recent use of drugs, such as cocaine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamines, and ecstasy. It is used in various situations, including workplace drug screening and DOT testing. A hair follicle test takes a small sample of a person's hair and sends it to a laboratory. It can provide an extended 90-day lookback of drug use compared to urine tests, which only show us a few days before the test.
The hair sample has to be from a patient's scalp and must have enough strands to be 1.5 inches long, with the thickness of a pencil. It cannot be collected from a brush or other source, and it has to be cut at the base of the scalp. Sometimes, patients may need more hair to collect a sufficient sample for the drug test. If this is the case, other hair-growing body parts, such as the armpits and pubic area, can be used for a drug test.
Most often, however, the hair sample is collected from a patient's head, which is easier to access than other body parts. It has to be cut at the base of the skull so that the lab can see the drug metabolites embedded in the hair follicles. Unlike urine and saliva drug tests, hair follicle tests are highly accurate and can provide a long detection window. As such, getting a false positive result with this type of testing is challenging.
Some people have tried to evade this type of testing by using quick remedies such as shampoos and vinegar mixtures that claim to "flush" THC metabolites from the hair follicles. The problem is that these methods don't flush THC metabolites from the hair - they cause them to sink in deeper into the scalp, where they will remain longer and become more difficult to remove.
It's also a popular choice for people on parole or probation who must take periodic tests. It's also good to have it done if you're undergoing treatment for an illness or disease since doctors can use this to determine if you've recently used any substances that could interfere with your medications.
The test accurately detects more than 17 drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, opiates, and benzodiazepines. In addition, it can also see alcohol consumption and a wide range of prescription medications.
One of the best things about this test is that cheating is complicated. The person who collects the sample needs to be very skilled at it, and it's virtually impossible to shave your head before they take the hair sample. This makes it much harder to cheat the test, and most companies offering these tests will only allow some people to do this.
Another thing to consider is that a hair follicle drug test may be influenced by environmental factors, like inhalation of second-hand smoke from people who have smoked the same drug you are being tested for. This can lead to false positive results because the metabolites of the substance you smoked or used are not likely to show up in your hair follicles.
However, there are some ways to beat a hair drug test. You can start by cleansing your hair with shampoo to remove drug metabolites from your scalp. This is a good option if you're trying to avoid being caught with weed or any other illicit drug because it can flush the toxins from your system faster than other methods.