Hair Follicle Drug Testing FAQ

When someone uses drugs, those drugs end up in the follicles of the hair on their body. As their hair grows, it shows an accurate map of the drugs they've taken over time. Hair follicle drug testing can be used to determine whether someone has actively taken drugs in the last three months.

How Does Hair Follicle Drug Testing Work?

• Hair follicle testing uses hair to determine whether a person has been taking drugs such as marijuana or cocaine. Proper hair drug testing uses several hairs of at least 1.5 inches long. To ensure a proper result, use at least three hairs for each test. While any body hair can be used for hair follicle drug testing, hair on the head is best because it grows faster than hair on the rest of the body.

Can You Perform Hair Follicle Drug Testing at Home?

• Hair follicle drug testing is a common household drug test. There are many companies that sell home drug tests of this variety, such as Medimpex and Hair Confirm. Prices vary between $100 and $150 per kit. Most at-home kits provide all tools necessary for gathering hair and storing it. They also provide an envelope to use for sending in the hair sample. Send it in the mail and the drug testing lab will send you back the results.

Is Hair Follicle Testing Better Than Other Methods?

• Unlike urine testing, hair follicle drug testing works over long periods of time. They can detect whether a person has used drugs in the past 90 days, according to Erowid. Because of this, hair follicle testing is the best choice for testing drugs in people who are suspected long-time users. However, hair follicle testing doesn't detect drug use in the last seven days. While hair follicle testing can be better than urine testing, blood testing is the best for detecting drug use.

What Drugs Does Hair Follicle Gesting Fnd?

• Through hair follicle drug testing, kits can detect drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, crack, meth, heroin and PCP. They can also detect ecstasy and barbiturate use. These drugs can be detected if they've been used at all in the past 90 days.

Are There Ways to Pass the Drug Test While Still Taking Drugs?

• Many websites on the Internet offer advice and products that purport to defy hair follicle drug testing. There are shampoos that are said to strip drug use evidence from hair follicles. To avoid having your target use these methods, give them very short notice before requiring the drug test. This way, they won't have time to research ways to pass a hair follicle drug test.