We have to start by saying that hair drug test or analysis is a procedure that tests for long-term drug abuse by checking the hair sample a technician will take from your head or body.

Remember that during the test, the administrator will remove approximately 1.5 inches of lock by using scissors, and they will take the sample in the lab for thorough analysis of substances you consumed in the last three months.

You can find ways to pass it by checking out: https://www.weednews.co/best-hair-follicle-detox-shampoo-for-a-hair-drug-test/, but remember that shampoos can only be useful if you wish to remove THC from your hair samples.

When compared with urinalysis, which is useful when it comes to checking the substances you consumed in the last few weeks, a hair analysis features longer detection window, which is sufficient for employers that wish to determine patterns of drug abuse.

What Is Hair Drug Test?

Your workplace may request it for numerous reasons, and the most common ones are during employment and as a part of pre-employment screening. It is also useful test of choice if you wish to monitor the sobriety of individuals that are at risk of getting back to using.

In most cases, it happens within the hospital setting or laboratory of your choice.

Sometimes, your workplace may choose to get DIY kits and mail them to laboratory afterward, but we always recommend you to avoid this particular process, because it will be more productive and have fewer chances of problems due to lousy specimen collection.

If the test is a mandatory requirement from your workplace, you will have to be next to someone who will supervise the screening process. You will be able to dye your locks or wash it as much as you can because the drug metabolites will be inside your follicle and not from the outside.

We have mentioned above that collector will take the sample between 100 and 120 hairs from your head, and if you are bold, they can take it from other parts of your body as well.

To understand everything about drug testing you should check here.

They can determine the negative results within 24 hours after the sample removal. The first process and testing method are known as ELISA, and it will determine if the hair sample is positive or negative.

Negative means that you do not have traces of illegal substances that you consumed in the last three months. On the other hand, if the testing is positive, it will undergo an additional test to check the amount and type of drugs you feature in the specimen.

After 72 hours, they will be able to confirm a positive drug test after passing GC/MS (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry), which will identify the specific drugs that you consumed and reduce the possibility of false positives.

The only way for the result to be inconclusive is when you do not follow the testing procedures, which means improper collection of hair specimen. Therefore, it is way better to find a laboratory where technicians will take the samples instead of doing it yourself.

Finally, a lab that you chose will send the results to your employer or individual that requested in the first place. Of course, everything is confidential and regulated based on privacy laws, which means that they will use secure interfaces to share results.

At the same time, you have to sign a release before the lab can send the results to your employer, which is another way of reducing the possibility of privacy problems.

Is It Accurate?

We have mentioned above that hair analysis is the most effective drug screening method for determining the patterns of drug abuse, especially for chronic abusers. Since hair growth tends to vary from person to person, it cannot accurately assess everything you consumed.

At the same time, the collection has to follow a specific set of standards so that accuracy could be at the maximum. During the screening process, they will washthe collected sample from environmental contamination that may affect the overall results.

Remember that whatever you do, such as using styling products, dying or washing your locks, will not help you affect the results unless you are using specific detox shampoos following the Macujo cleansing method.

Since they want to avoid false-positive results, they are conducting two tests such as ELISA and GC/MS. Check out this site: https://www.wikihow.com/Pass-a-Hair-Follicle-Drug-Test so that you can learn how to pass a hair analysis with ease.

Have in mind that some medications may affect the overall results, which means that if you have to take opioid painkiller based on doctor’s evaluation, they may show up in the test.

That is why you should be honest and straight beforehand and tell your HR manager or employer that you are consuming prescription meds that may affect the results. In case you think that screenings were false and inaccurate, you can request a retest.

When compared with other drug tests, hair analysis is an expensive solution, which was the main reason for the lack of popularity among employers.

However, urinalysis features numerous ways to pass it by tampering with the results, which is why in the last few years, employers are choosing hair analysis instead.

Differences Between Urine and Hair Drug Test

The primary difference lies in the detection window, which means that urine drug test can only check the presence of drugs that you consumed in the last few days or weeks in case of weed.

On the other hand, hair analysis features the most extended detection window, and it can track the chronic and frequent drug users, which means that it will determine the presence of drugs within the 90 days after consumption.

The main reason for long window of detection is because drugs you consume will enter your bloodstream and feed the hair follicles that are responsible for growing your crowning glory. Therefore, the drug metabolites will be part of newly grown hair, which will affect the test afterward.

This type of test is not efficient if you wish to check the recent drug use, because the metabolites require between seven and ten days until they show up in your hair.