At Home Drug Tests

Hair Drug Test

Hair testing for drugs can cause problems for substance users because of the accuracy with which it detects metabolites. Hair drug testing isn’t as common as urine or saliva tests, but chances are that someone would ask you to oartake at some time or other.

Hair growth is a complex procedure that involves the uptake of substances that one has taken while the hair is being produced. Almost all types of drugs are accumulated in hair after their breakdown during body metabolism.

Substances accumulate in hair because hair takes it’s nutrition from the blood supply. There are tiny vessels in scalp that act as the supply route for hair. When a person takes a drug, it gets metabolized and is secreted into the blood. It travels to all parts of the body including through the vessels that provide fuel for hair growth.

These compounds are then absorbed into the hair and remain there for months, even years. Only once all the hair falls out and new, untainted growth forms, will a hair test become negative.

Amphetamine can be detected in hair even if you used it months ago. Heroin and codeine can also be detected by taking a hair sample and examining it for drug metabolites. You can test positive for that drug use if you last used it up to four months ago.

Drug detection times vary depending on the metabolism rate of the person and the rate of hair loss. Some people are able to excrete metabolites very quickly while others can test positive long after having taken the substance. A period of three months is generally considered the standard detection time for a large variety of drugs including methamphetamines, barbiturates, heroin, marijuana, and benzodiazepines.

There are shampoos and lotions available on the market that say they can conceal the use of a drug. There is no scientific evidence to back this up. As the compounds are within the hair itself, research has shown most, if not all of these to be completely ineffective.

Home drug testing is another way of finding the results before appearing in an official drug test. Home drug testing will enable you to find the presence of a drug in your hair and you can take steps to avoid the test if possible. It isn’t currently possible to spoof a hair test unless you can substitute the samples. That’s why this is the preferred method of testing in high profile cases.

The defense that the user was in proximity of other drug users cannot be used in hair tests. The person in question had to have imbibed the substance in order for them to have it present in the hair. The drug in question has to have been present in the blood for it to be present in the hair.

Fortunately, the intrusive nature of the test, and the expense means that the hair drugs test isn’t widespread in the workplace. This is the most difficult test to fool, and has the widest detection window of all tests.