Looking Closer Into Hair Strand Testing
Hair strand testing is the newest way for testing people for drug use to date. Although this method of drug testing appears to be the most accurate, many people are still puzzled by hair strand tests because they continue to believe that hair strand tests are more urban legends than truth. However, hair drug testing is very real. More and more employers, law enforcers, and school authorities are starting to adopt this method of drug testing because of its reliability. Strands of hair from the scalp and body can be used in hair strand tests and they can reveal if the person has been using a drug use for months, a year, or more.
How Hair Testing Works
Many people ask how hair strand testing works. As our hair grows, substances present in our bloodstream get deposited and locked into the hair shaft. In the case of drugs and metabolites, their traces will remain as permanent records in our hair unless we shave our head or cut our hair short. Hair strand testing can be looked at much in a way that a geologist looks at the side of a large rock formation, with layers upon layers which tell a story of the formation's life. Hair is also formed by layering, each telling a story of what was eaten, drunk, stress levels, and other such behaviors.
Costs Associated With Hair Strand Tests
Hair drug tests usually cost more than conventional urine drug tests. Nevertheless, hair strand testing remains a good method of determining drug levels in a person’s system because of its effectiveness. Hair drug tests are remarkably accurate and they can trace the history of drug use as far back as three months and even more – depending on the length of the sample provided or collected. Hair strand drug testing creates a timeline, showing all of the toxins and substances a person has used. There is no way of hiding a history of drug and/or alcohol use with hair strand tests.
Hair Strand Test Accuracy
Some drug users have tried to mask or hide their hair with hair products and hair processes but many of them failed. What they do not know is that masking hair can only last a few hours and hair drug tests will eventually reveal the absence or presence of drugs and their metabolites. If a person has a non-negative result after undergoing a hair drug test, a follow up or confirmatory hair test will still be necessary. Hair follicle tests can only be used when they are substantiated by other evidence.
Convenience of Hair Strand Testing
Hair strand testing is a non-intrusive method of drug testing. A bundle of tightly twisted hair a quarter of an inch in diameter must be collected from the subject. One cannot perform a hair drug test on samples that are less than half an inch long. Should a person be bald or a person cannot yield sufficient scalp hair samples for drug testing, hair can be collected from other parts of the body – except for pubic areas.
About the Author
Trimega Labs is the industry leader in hair drug testing.
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