We can use most parts of the body to collect from, arm/
A body hair sample is typically collected by cutting or shaving hair from the arms, legs, chest, stomach, underarms, or face of a male donor. A good sample is typically the size of a large cotton ball. We do not perform body hair testing for female donors.
Bleaching, dyeing, perming, and straightening can all impact a hair drug test result. This is because the chemicals used in these types of treatments can damage the hair shaft and alter the concentration of the drug.
If a person is bald or has a shaved head, a body hair sample can be collected. If the person being tested has no hair on their body, a hair drug test cannot be administered.
Often, people who require a hair test have very short hair; in these cases, the sample could be collected from the pubic area. Pubic hair represents a reliable and widely accepted alternative matrix, often employed to ascertain or exclude drug abuse.
However, all hair samples are typically visually inspected on arrival at a lab. Fake hair would be rejected at this stage. In addition, a company sample collector would also ensure that the hair sample is taken from the correct area.
Bleaching hair peroxide decreases the detectability of cocaine in user hair. Melanin–cocaine bonds are broken and cocaine is degraded into reaction products. Unbound cocaine and reaction products are washed out removing evidence of cocaine use.
Given adequate hair length, hair testing can detect exposure to psychoactive substances within wide time-frames – much wider than with urine, blood, and saliva. However, hair testing cannot detect very recent exposure, and infrequent cannabis use in particular can be difficult to detect.
Nail drug testing provides an alternative sample when hair is not available or too short for the time period required.
Hair drug testing on dyed or bleached hair may still be worthwhile. Any chemical treatment such as hair dye, bleach, chemical straightening and permanent waves can damage the hair. This damage may lead to some of the drugs that may be present, being leached out from the hair.
Specificity of hair testing at standard laboratory cut-offs exceeded 90% for all drugs, but sensitivity of hair testing relative to self-report was low, identifying only 52.3% (127/243) of self-disclosed marijuana users, 65.2% (30/46) of cocaine users, 24.2% (8/33) of amphetamine users, and 2.9% (2/68) of opioid users.
Hair drug test collection
If the donor does not have head hair or if their hair is less than a ½ inch long, a specimen can be taken from other locations on the body. In order of preference, our collectors will cut the chest, underarm, leg, or facial hair to obtain a sample.
Samples for hair drug tests are normally taken from the head. However, as an alternative for donors with little to no head hair, body hair samples may be used as appropriate alternatives. For example, hair follicles may be taken from the face or underarms, provided that the hair length is approximately 1.5 inches.
Can body hair be used for the hair follicle test? We can test underarm, leg, or chest hair. Occasionally, beard hair can be used as well. And, no, we cannot get the hair from any other place on your body other than those previously mentioned!
The window of detection also varies based on the amount of hair tested. Although longer samples of hair can be tested for drug exposure over a longer period of time, a standard sample of hair from the scalp is 1.5 inches and provides information about approximately 90 days of past drug exposure.
Hair testing can only detect drugs that have been consumed; it cannot detect drugs that have been injected or breathed. This is a crucial point to keep in mind.
In theory, hair drug tests can be attempted to be cheated or manipulated, but it's not easy to do so effectively. Hair drug testing is considered tamper-resistant, which means that it is difficult to manipulate the results of the test.
An evidentiary false positive that is the result of exogenous exposure to drug(s) in the environment. The drug positive result is not due to the ingestion or use of drug by any route of administration. Drug(s) in sweat or sebum from a source other than the user contacting hair to cause a drug positive result.
The use of a drug on one occasion only would not be expected to give rise to positive results as insufficient drug would be expected to accumulate in the hair to be detected above the cut off level. This is because almost all of the hair analysed would cover a time when drug use had not occurred.
The Jerry G Method involves using bleach and hair dye to remove any drug metabolites from the hair follicles. These harsh ingredients can forcefully open your hair follicles to clear any traces of marijuana and other drugs.
Safe and Effective Ingredients
The Old Style Aloe Toxin Rid Shampoo and the Zydot Ultra Clean Shampoo contain penetrating cleansing agents that are gentle on the hair while effectively removing residual buildup, environmental pollutants, chemicals, chlorine, hard water minerals, and hair-dulling impurities.