Hair Drug Testing

Hair drug testing, while not as commonly used as urine or oral fluid testing, is used at times when a business may have situations where a larger detection window for use of drugs may be required. Drugs in hair may be detectable for approx. 90 days, whereas drugs in urine are generally detectable for one to seven days (or longer in chronic users of prescription or illicit drugs). This is sometimes referred to as hair follicle testing, however the follicle is not actually the part of the hair that is tested.

Hair Drug Testing as Follow-Up Testing

Due to the lengthy detection window, it's often employed for follow-up testing, especially when an individual has disclosed or been identified with a substance use disorder. In such situations, confirming abstinence from the substance is crucial, and hair testing steps in with its extended timeframe, providing a reliable means to gauge an employee's continued commitment to a drug-free lifestyle.

Hair Drug Testing & Cheating

Hair drug tests boast high resistance to tampering and attempts to cheat the test by short-term abstinence. This is because substances become embedded in the hair after ingestion for up to 90 days.