Accurate Hair Follicle Testing

Hair drug testing or “hair follicle testing” may be a very genuine and effective way of screening for drug use. Whether you’re trying to screen potential applicants for a new job or you’re keeping compliance with certain ordinances, drug testing is often used in the workplace to keep employees safe and healthy. While most employers are familiar with using urine samples for drug tests, a frequently popular testing method is hair drug testing.

Here are our answers to a number of the common hair drug testing questions we’ve received.

A hair drug test uses a hair sample, typically from the hair’s root, to screen for drug use. When someone uses drugs, the substance is absorbed into the bloodstream. Because each follicle incorporates a vessel to feed the hair growth cells, the drugs are carried from the blood into the follicle. Traces of medicine can then be detected within the follicle.

Hair drug tests typically test for cocaine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and PCP.

A single hair isn’t going to be enough for a hair drug test, and you can’t use hair obtained from a brush or another origin – it must be taken straight from the person’s head. For the analysis to effectively determine drug use, a sample of hair has to be 1.5 inches long, and have the thickness of a pencil.