Almost 80% of US employers will implement some form of drug screening before hiring a new employee. Some companies will continue to schedule drug tests throughout employment. Roughly 7% of these employers test for traces of drugs using hair follicle testing.
Hair testing is mainly required for positions in high security, aviation, casinos, and the defense industry. However, this non-invasive drug detection process is also used by over 10% of Fortune 500 companies. One of the main reasons that hair follicle testing is increasing in popularity is its ability to detect illicit drug use over a prolonged period reliably.
But can a hair follicle drug test be passed, even if there are drugs in your system? The answer is yes, with the right product! Read on to find out more.
What is a Hair Follicle Drug Test?
While most companies use urine or blood drug tests to identify recent drug use, hair testing can detect traces of illicit and pharmaceutical drugs for up to ninety days. That being said, several physiological factors can affect drug testing timelines.
These include the frequency and length of drug use, your physiological makeup, height, weight, age, and body fat levels. It’s also worth noting that different drugs will leave your system faster and slower than others. Human hair stores a lot of history from the second it sprouts, until the moment it is cut or shaved.
Hair follicle drug testing applies to all hairs on the human body, so shaving your head won’t necessarily help you pass a test. During a test, clinicians usually remove 50 strands of hair from the back of the head or another part of your body. This sample is then analyzed to look for signs of drug use during the ninety days preceding the test.
How Does a Hair Follicle Drug Test Work?
Hair follicle drug tests take place in workplaces, healthcare settings, or at home. The tester removes a small hair sample from an area close to your scalp and sends it to a laboratory to be tested overnight.
Certain foods, such as poppy seeds, or prescription medications, can lead to false positives. Therefore, hair samples will undergo a two-step verification process to ensure the test results are accurate.
Step one involves an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, which screens the follicles quickly and efficiently. If this test picks up a positive reading for a specific substance, a technician will test the hair sample again using confirmatory chromatographic testing. This method may use a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), to eliminate false positives.
What if a Person has no Hair on Their Head?
Hair samples can be taken from the face or armpit area, so even if you are bald, you can still be subject to a hair follicle drug test. The hair removed from a person must be at least 0.5-1.5 inches long. If your hair is shorter than this, you may be required to supply more hair for the sample.
Hair Follicle Drug Test Timeline
Results from hair follicle drug testing in the workplace are pretty quick and are usually received in a few days. Your employer can request to have the test completed rapidly, which can provide results within 24 hours. Negative results are generally received within a day. However, positive screens often require further testing, which can take anywhere between a few days and a week.
If an initial screening is negative, medical review officers (MRO’s) will typically contact your employer with the results. If the results are positive, the MRO will usually contact you for further questioning. You must notify the MRO or laboratory of any prescription or OTC medications that you currently take.
If your results are positive, you may be asked to provide proof of your valid prescriptions and prescriber information for all prescription medications that are detected.
What Can a Hair Follicle Drug Test Detect?
Hair follicle drug tests, also called hair drug tests, screen for illicit drug use and the abuse of prescription medications. Samples are analyzed for any signs of drug use during three months preceding the test.
Tests are typically used to test for:
- Methamphetamine
- Amphetamine
- Marijuana
- Cocaine
- PCP
- Ecstacsy
- Opioids (Including morphine, Oxycontin, Heroin, Morphine, and 6-diacetylmorphine)
- Benzodiazepines (Including Valium, Nitrazepam, and Klonazepam)
- Barbituates
While urine testing can detect whether you have used these drugs in the last couple of days, hair follicle tests can identify drugs from over 90 days in some people.
Workplaces can request for hair follicle testing for illicit use of narcotics and prescription medications before hiring, or at random intervals during employment.
Research has also suggested that hair follicle testing can be used to monitor drug use in individuals that are classed as at-risk when used alongside self-reporting.
How Much do Hair Follicle Drug Tests Cost?
For those of you that wish to ‘test the water’ at home before a work-related test, at-home kits range from $65-$85. Alternatively, drug tests performed in a clinical environment can cost between $100 and $125.
If your place of work requires that you take a hair follicle drug test, they are legally required to pay for any time spent taking the test. This includes the cost of the test itself.
For drug tests that are required as part of pre-employment screening, employers are not legally obligated to compensate you for your time. Most insurance carriers will cover drug tests if they are performed inside a hospital for medical purposes. This includes inpatient stays or visits to the emergency room.
How Long Does THC Stay in Your Hair?
The most frequently cited number for the length of time that marijuana can be detected in your hair is ninety days. This time frame is calculated based on how much time it takes for hair roots to grow past the scalp; it also takes into account the part of the hair that is sampled by drug testers.
Quest Diagnostics, one of the USA’s leading drug testing labs, has said that it takes 5-10 days before the hair at the root grows past the scalp and into the open. During a hair follicle drug test, samples are generally removed from hair that is 1.5 inches from the scalp. As the average hair grows at 0.5 inches per month, you will have 90 days or so before you’re entirely in the clear.
How Does Hair Testing Detect THC and Other Compounds?
After a hair sample has been collected, it’s washed to get rid of any external contaminant, cut into smaller pieces, and digested in a solution to break down all components. The protein keratin is broken down, along with any other compounds that are present in the hair shaft.
The remaining solution is placed through an ELISA screen, during which specific antibodies will be used to bind to a target molecule of choice. In the case of Marijuana testing, this molecule is THCA, a metabolite of THC.
In positive test cases, a second sample of the same hair will be retested using spectrometry or chromatography. Thes techniques are more accurate and can identify the ‘molecular’ signature of the specific target compound.
The final concentration left of the chemical in a given sample will give the final verdict. Quest Diagnostics uses a ‘confirmatory level’ of THCA set at 0.1 picograms per milligram of hair. Any levels above this number confirm that you have used marijuana in the past ninety days.
Why is Hair Follicle Drug Testing Necessary?
You may be required to undergo drug testing for legal, medical, or employment purposes. An increasing number of companies implement mandatory drug testing as part of their application process. This is particularly common in jobs that carry a high risk of injury.
Employers also carry our randomized drug testing for employees, especially following severe accidents or incidents that take place under suspicious circumstances.
In the USA, drug testing laws differ from state-to state. In some states, random drug testing is prohibited in the workplace. In these instances, employers must provide clear evidence that supports their decision to drug test a particular employee.
If somebody is on probation, or part of child custody, domestic violence, or adoption case, courts can request hair follicle drug testing. Healthcare providers may also require testing for people that are at risk of alcohol or drug misuse.
It’s important to note that in most instances, drug testing will require a person’s written consent before implementation.
Ways to Pass a Hair Follicle Drug Test
There are several ways that you can attempt to pass a hair follicle drug test. Some are pretty much guaranteed, while others will help to increase your chances.
The most reliable and trusted method is using a premium hair detox product, which will be explained in more detail below. However, other methods include:
Speeding up the Detox Process Using Diet and Supplements
If you have a couple of weeks or so before the test, you have time to speed up your body’s natural detox process. During this time, you should not take marijuana or any other illicit drugs. Supplements that promote detoxification include Vitamin B3, as it causes blood vessel dilation, releasing more toxins into the body for processing.
We also recommend drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water a day and using a sauna to help speed up the detoxification process. One of the benefits of this form of detox is that it won’t arouse suspicion in other employees, or your employer. It just looks as though you’re trying to be healthier. The disadvantage of this method is that there is no guarantee that it will work.
Shave ‘ALL’ of Your Hair Off
Although we don’t recommend this solution, technically you could shave all the hair from your body so that companies can’t find any hair to test.
If you do this, you’re potentially flying a huge red flag that makes it very clear that you have something to hide. Imagine going through an entire interview process and then proceeding to shave off all of your hair.
We’ve included this ‘solution’ just in case any of our readers were considering taking this kind of action. If you are, have a major rethink.
DIY Treatments and Solutions
Many people attempt to make their own hair cleanser when it comes to drug testing. These can be made using ingredients from your kitchen, and are relatively inexpensive. However, they take a lot longer to work than professional detoxification shampoos.
An easy remedy is to use white vinegar to soak your hair, leaving the solution on for around twenty minutes. Next, purchase some acne medicine that has salicylic acid listed as an ingredient and massage that into your scalp. Finally, mix some liquid or powder detergent with water and spread this evenly across your head and throughout your hair.
Lather the mixture up on your head and leave it on for a further ten minutes. Next, rinse out the solution using warm water and nothing else. Dry your hair and style it as usual, repeat as many times as necessary leading up to your test.
Although these DIY treatments can increase your chances of passing a hair follicle drug test, nothing is as effective as purchasing a ‘Toxin-Rid Shampoo.’
Use a Professional Hair Detox Product
Without a doubt, the most successful method for passing a hair follicle drug test is to use a professional hair detox product.
With our years of experience in the industry, we recommend ‘Old Style Aloe Toxin-Rid Shampoo.’ This product is the only reliable option for you if you want to get a job, keep your job, or sail through legal proceedings after using illicit drugs or abusing prescription substances.
Old Style Aloe Toxin Rid has been proven to help hundreds of people pass hair follicle drug tests. It’s the leading support shampoo to help you pass a hair test after using narcotics.
Using Old Style Aloe Toxin Rid every day leading up to your test, and Ultra Clean Shampoo on the morning of the test puts you in an excellent position to thoroughly remove any toxins from your hair.
We recommend using this excellent product for 3-10 days in advance of your test. For those that don’t have that much time, take several showers a day as required. With every wash, leave the shampoo lathered in your hair for between 10 and 15 minutes.
This shampoo should be used at least 15 times before your test for the most efficient and effective results. Focus predominantly on massaging the product into your scalp, as this is where most of the toxins are found.
For best results use regular shampoo, rinse, apply Old Style Aloe Toxin Rid, soak, rinse, then use regular conditioner. The deep-cleaning formula delicately removes any residual buildup, chemicals, environmental pollutants, hard water minerals, chlorine, and hair dulling impurities. It also uses advanced microsphere technology to provide a gradual release of contaminants.
We really can’t emphasize enough that this product is your best chance of passing a hair follicle drug test. This is especially relevant if you have used marijuana or any other drugs during the last three months.
If you’re reading this article, you likely have a drug test imminent, the sooner you start using this product, the higher your chances of passing the test.
To summarize, we have explained that hair follicle drug tests pick up any traces of illegal or pharmaceutical drugs that have been used within ninety days before testing.
We know that negative test results usually return within 24 hours, whereas positive testing can take a few days. Hair follicle tests are increasingly popular with employers and may be legal requirements in certain criminal proceedings.
THC can be detected in the hair for up to 90 days, and mandatory drug testing laws differ from state-to-state. We also know that there are several ways that you can attempt to pass a hair follicle test, but one specific method is the most reliable if used correctly.
To purchase Old Style Aloe Toxin Rid shampoo click here immediately. Drug tests can make or break a career, relationship, or even a family. Please do not underestimate the importance of these tests and take full advantage of the available solutions.
