What is a hair drug test?
A Hair sample drug testing (misunderstood as a hair follicle drug test) screens for illicit drug and prescription medication misuse. During this test, a small amount of Hair is removed from your head using scissors (about 1.5 in). The Hair sample is then sent to our certified laboratory and analyzed for signs of drug use during the last 70- 90 days preceding the test. Hair sample drug testing is typically used to test for:
- Amphetamine
- Methamphetamine
- Barbiturates
- Cocaine
- Opioids (codeine, morphine, 6-acetyl morphine)
- Oxycodone
- Marijuana
- PCP
Why? Drugs in the bloodstream become a part of Hair cells as the Hair grows.
The collection and testing of Hair follow a stringent set of standards to increase accuracy. During testing, the collected Hair is washed and tested for environmental contamination that could affect the test results. Your results won't be affected if you wash your Hair, dye your Hair, or use styling products.
To guard against a false positive, laboratories conduct two tests. The first, called ELISA, can deliver a negative or positive result within 24 hours. The second, called LC/MS/MS, is a wide
The key distinction between a hair drug test and a urine drug test is the window of detection, providing a clear understanding of the differences between these two methods.
A urine drug test is used to test for the drug(s) used over the 3 days before the collection.
A Hair sample drug test is the only drug test that can detect repeated drug use up to 70-90 days before the test.
