Many questions surrounding the accuracy of drug testing, especially hair analysis remain unanswered, and that’s a strong reason shampoo and other drug elimination kits have become so popular. Recent studies confirm that external exposure, although weak, can penetrate your hair fibers, leading to positive detection of drugs, like THC.
How Hair Analysis Works
The procedure for investigating hair for traces of narcotics have existed since 1979 when scientists Baumgartner and Jones developed a test determining opiate history. Hair analysis is most frequently used for workplace testing, but there’s a significant number that applies to probation for drug-related offenses. Thus, the reason when it comes to any hair drug testing | countrywide analysis becomes more popular year after year.
As a rule, head hair is used for the test. If this is not possible because you’re bald, a hair sample from any other body region can be used. The metabolites are bound to the melanin in the hair — the pigment that gives hair its color. The higher the melanin content, the more traces that can be found. The lab removes about several pencil-thick strands of hair for testing, and they test for a range of drugs like Opiates, Cocaine, Heroin, Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabinol (CBN).
Hair analysis can even detect the single use of some drugs (cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamine). Heroin and THC are likely to require repeated consumption in order to detect them in the hair. The individual laboratories set the thresholds.
Is There a Way to Eliminate Drugs?
Labs continually tell people that you cannot remove traces of metabolites from your hair, but plenty of people have already done so and passed a hair follicle test. This has significantly boosted the product lines of several manufacturers. The process begins with continuous washing with an elimination detox shampoo. Once you open the hair’s cuticle and use a specially formulated shampoo, those drug deposits begin to degrade.
When drug tests are carried out using a hair sample, the metabolites are detected in the inner part of the hair that is inside the hair structure. Many people mistakenly believe they are washing the substances from the outer portion of the hair, but drugs move from the bloodstream into the follicle of the hair. Thus, the reason you require specially formulated detox shampoo to open the hair shaft and eliminate drug deposits.
How Long Before Drugs Can Be Detected?
It takes 4-5 days until the segment in question grows out of the scalp. Due to its different and considerable growth cycles, it is not possible to determine a time slot. But to estimate, as an example, a lab should be able to detect THC drug metabolites from hair samples around 7 to 14 days after drug use, and even earlier for other drugs.
The hair can be sampled from different areas around the body, and technicians will analyze the necessary amount of hair required to perform the test. The body hair can be used as a supplement for head hair. However, this can sometimes be difficult due to the slower growth rate. Overall, metabolites of drugs can remain in the hair follicle for 90 days or more, depending on drug use. If you know you’re going to be tested it’s best to proactively reduce any likelihood that you won’t pass.
