In this article from Wikihow you can learn how to perform an accurate hair follicle drug test in 6 easy steps, and also some useful tips.
How to Test Hair for Drug Use
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Medical experts are able to test hair for drug use because the bloodstream feeds hair growth. When a person ingests a drug, traces of the substance may appear in a hair sample. To test hair, experts measure the drug molecules inside the hair shaft. Employers, the government and concerned parents can test hair for the presence of five drug classes: cocaine, methamphetamines, marijuana, phencyclidine and opiates. A hair follicle drug test is one of the most trusted and most used methods of drug testing used today.
Steps
- Purchase a hair follicle drug test kit. Most kits test for 7 illicit drugs plus 5 prescription drugs.
- Get a hair sample.
- You want to get close to the scalp when you cut the hair.
- For a 30-day drug-use history, you will need at least 1/2 inch (1.27 centimeters) of hair. Hair that is 1 1/2 inches (3.81 centimeters) will give you a 90-day history.
- Be sure your hair sample includes 40 to 50 strands of hair.
- Mail the hair sample.
- Put the hair sample in the pre-paid package provided in the test kit.
- Send the sample to the laboratory. The lab will test the 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches (1.27 to 3.81 centimeters) of hair closest to the hair follicle.
- Register your test on the hair follicle drug-testing website while you wait for the lab to complete the test. Once the lab finishes its test, the results will be available.
- Understand how the lab uses hair to test for drugs.
- The lab will melt the sample and measure the embedded drug molecules in the remaining substance.
- If the lab gets a positive result for a hair sample test, it will eliminate a false positive reading by conducting a second test. The second method relies on gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) testing.
- Access your secure online results. You can usually do this within 1 to 2 business days from the date you mailed the hair sample.
- Log in to the company’s website for your test results.
- Evaluate the test results. These will indicate a positive or negative result for each drug class.
- With a positive test result, the lab will include an assessment of the hair dose response. This will identify whether the donor is an occasional, weekend, daily or constant user.
- You can download the test result report and print it directly from the laboratory if you would like a hard copy.
Tips
- Kits to test hair for drug use often include the price of shipping the sample to a qualified laboratory for analysis.
- Head hair grows at an average of 1/2 inches (1.3 centimeters) per month.
- You cannot alter hair testing results by using everyday products like shampoos, conditioners, bleach, hair color or other external chemicals.
- Tests can detect drugs within 4 to 5 days from the time of drug use.
Warnings
- Never take a hair sample from a hairbrush. Labs cannot guarantee results from hairbrush samples.
Things You’ll Need
- Hair follicle drug test kit
Sources and Citations
- http://www.omegalabs.net/abouthairtesting/hairtestingfaq/hairtestingfaq.aspx
- http://www.craigmedical.com/Hair_Drug-Test_FAQ.htm
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