Are hair follicle drug tests hair-raising experiences for you? As it is, random drug tests could be scary. To add to all that head-pounding pressure, hair follicles have the longest detection period as drug test samples!
There are way too many videos and online posts on “how to cheat your hair drug test”. But all the content might confuse you more than ease your confusion about the how(s), the dos, and the don’ts.
But don’t worry! We will help you vaporize all your confusion in about 10 minutes and provide you with adequate information on how to pass a hair follicle drug test.
But first, let’s take a few moments to dispel some rumors and misconceptions – and clear the air around hair follicle drug tests.
How Does A Hair Follicle Drug Test Work?
We guess you already know what a hair follicle is. Nevertheless, let us give you a brief idea.
Hair follicle drug tests, like normal drug tests, are conducted to detect tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) metabolites in the body. Simply said, it is conducted to detect the presence of THC in your system.
Then, what’s the hype around passing a hair follicle drug test?
The accuracy and duration of detection of this kind of drug test make it rather difficult to pass.
Blood and urine tests are easier on your mind as drug metabolites tend to leave these samples way sooner than hair follicles. A hair follicle test can detect long-term use of drugs. Where the drug is flushed from the system within weeks, hair follicles can store the drug for as long as 90 days.
This is quite a long time for the red flag to show up if you have used a substance even once in three months. Quite worrisome, right? Hence, it’s quite important to know how to pass a hair follicle drug test.
So how does the test work? As the name suggests, your hair samples are taken for the test. A small sample is enough. Do not worry about your haircut going bad. The sample is usually taken from the back of the head. About 3 clumps with about 50 strands each or about 1.5 inches of your hair are taken as a sample. If you’re bald, hair from other parts of the body is taken for the test.
How Long Does THC Stay In Your Hair?
This is a common question clouding the minds of users. New drug deposits cannot penetrate dormant hair (i.e. non-growing hair). The hair sample taken for conducting the drug test is 1.5 inches from the head or the body and these can usually detect drug use up to 90 days or even longer. The detection window also depends on the individual being tested.
As far as THC’s presence in your system is concerned, several factors affect the time frame. These are:
- Your diet and metabolism rate
- Your percentage of body fat
- How much you have smoked
- The strength/potency of the weed or strain you have smoked
- How much you have exercised and sweated it out
Body Hair vs. Head Hair: Which One Holds Drug Residue Longer?
As we have said, if your head is shaven, hair strands from other body parts are taken to conduct the hair follicle drug test. So, let’s know which one holds drug residue for a longer time.
There’s no direct answer to this. There’s much debate about the pace at which body hair grows. Users are often concerned about body hair retaining drug residue much longer than head hair since the growth of body hair is slower.
But the fact is that both head and body hair grows at the same pace. The only difference is that body hair stops growing after a certain length. Drug deposits can stay for 1 to 4 months. So it doesn’t matter whether your test is conducted with a head hair sample or a body hair sample. Both can reveal the presence of drugs for up to 90 days.
Also, there are anecdotes that body hair can pick up drug remains for up to 12 months. Although no scientific study conclusively states this, you may consider it while trying to interpret the results.
So the bottom line is the 90-day mark estimate. Your hair does retain the drug history like your browser retains the search history.
So, when you need to clear the history and stop that red flag from showing up, you will need to consider the 90-day estimate and work it out accordingly.
Things You Can Do To Pass A Hair Follicle Drug Test, Smoothly
Now that you know how the hair follicle drug test works, let’s know what you can do to clear it.
The main thing is that every user is concerned about getting caught in the drug test. And, when it’s a hair follicle test, the concern doubles.
However, there are ways that you can consider to get a green signal even for a hair follicle drug test. Here are some steps that you can take to pass it.
Cleanse Your Blood & Hair, The Natural Way!
Your hair follicle carries marijuana to the bloodstream. Hence, it becomes important to rid your blood of the toxins. It takes about 30 days for the toxins to leave the bloodstream. Once you ensure that your bloodstream has been cleansed, you can be sure that your hair shaft will also be clean.
When your hair grows about 1.5 inches after 3 months, that sample will be clean. So, once you naturally cleanse yourself, you’re ready to go for that test without any worry. But how do you do that? Let’s find out.
Stick To Healthy Diet & Supplements to Detox Faster
The good news is that you can have a shorter route to carry out the cleansing process. You can shorten the process by a few weeks if you go on a detox diet and drink herbal supplements daily.
To do this, you need to follow a routine that will incorporate detox diets, like lots of citrus fruits, greens, and, of course, supplements.
Take loads of niacin or vitamin B3. This will trigger the production of histamines in the body and will cause the blood capillaries to dilate. This will allow the elimination of more toxins. It’s a great way to get rid of the toxins from your body.
A “must” in your detox diet is drinking as much water as possible. It’s a tall task indeed. Try not to drink too much at once. Keep the pace of drinking comfortable and increase the frequency.
One more thing we suggest is sweating it out at the gym. Both drinking water and working out will help get those toxins out of your system.
So get up, set the routine, and start your detox days!
Temporary Cleansing Of Your Hair
While we suggest some detox diets and supplements that you can incorporate into your daily routine, some of you may be concerned about sudden drug tests where you do not have any time for diets. What do you do when you’re pressed for time?
Try using a hair detoxification shampoo. Yes, you heard that right! Not only can you go for detox diets, but you can also choose detox shampoos that will temporarily cleanse your hair from toxins.
Detox shampoos are available in the market and they are specifically designed to remove metabolites and the ancient layers of oil from your scalp.
If you’re thinking that it will damage your well-maintained hair, worry not! Detox shampoos cleanse while maintaining the quality of your hair. Simply stated, they aren’t damaging. They aim to penetrate the inner structure of the hair shaft and to dissolve and release the toxins that can have been there for quite a while.
You can go for these detox shampoos (Ultra Clean Shampoo and Old- Style Aloe Toxin Rid Shampoo) and use these 3–10 days before your drug test. If you do not have that much time in hand, wash your hair 3–4 times, just as required. Let the shampoo sit for at least 3 minutes, massage thoroughly to remove all the residual build-up, and wash it off.
However, look out for the brand you are buying. A bad purchase may damage your hair.
Also, you need to be aware that detox shampoos rid your hair of all contaminants that can damage the hair and make it unfit for a test. This can buy you more time and get your system cleansed. But on the flip side, it may also attract the suspicion of your company, family, or whosoever has asked you to undergo the drug test.
Combine Ingredients & Make A Home Remedy
Other than the two options suggested above, you can also rustle up a home remedy.
Home remedies are pocket-friendly but you have to give these some time. The preparation takes time. Hence, if you’re ready to invest time and are short of money, go with this alternative.
Most of these home remedies involve ingredients that are available in your cupboard and are inexpensive. These ingredients include detergent, baking soda, lemon juice, sea salt, vinegar, and rosemary oil.
You can use these ingredients to make your own detox shampoo. Here’s one remedy recipe that you can try:
- Saturate your hair with white vinegar and allow it to sit for 15–20 minutes.
- Next, soak your hair in a salicylic acid acne treatment.
- Get one cup of liquid detergent and lather up your hair thoroughly. If liquid detergent is unavailable, take one scoop of powder detergent and mix it with water to form a paste. Use that instead.
- Next, rinse your hair but do not wash or condition it. As an added measure, get a hair dying kit of your favorite color and use it.
Repeat these steps as and when you like and voila! You’ll get the same effects as a detox shampoo.
Shave All Your Hair!
Oops! Did we just say that?
Well, when nothing else works, there’s only one option left — getting rid of the very sample that could be tested!
Shave off all your hair and leave no way for anybody to compel you into a hair follicle drug test.
In fact, you can shave all your hair from head to toe! That will make you unable to submit any sample for the test and, hence, you’ll have a great escape.
However, this trick could get you caught!
Well, come on! You have a hair follicle drug test and on the very day of the test, you are clean-shaven from head to toe! Who won’t be suspicious!?!
Well, this isn’t the best option, though, the only option if you were to face such a situation and you know you would fail if you had to go through it!
Jokes apart, we have still given you a few foolproof ways to get rid of the toxins in your system. Yet, we would recommend that you check these out for yourself and do not take a risk with a drug test.
Once you have followed these methods and prepared yourself to pass the hair follicle drug test, go through it on your own accord to see if it comes negative. Confirming is always good, right?
Once you see for yourself that the test results are negative, you’ll be confident about beating any possible drug test in the future. There are some hair drug testing kits that you can use to measure the effectiveness of the methods we have suggested. These easy-to-use drug test kits will measure the THC levels even for light marijuana users.
Hair Follicle Drug Test: FAQs
When it comes to hair follicle drug tests, things get a little messy. Users become more nervous and perplexed, as it can even detect very old drug residues in your system.
Here are some common questions surrounding hair follicle drug tests and we are happy to address them.
Q: How far back can the hair follicle test go to detect drug use?
A: The hair follicle drug test can detect drug use up to 3 months ago. The test is conducted by taking 1.5 inches of hair. A longer strand of hair can detect the drug use further back (almost a year).
Q: What is the length of hair strand needed for a hair follicle drug test?
A: The standard is 1.5 inches of hair from the root. The length beyond the first 1.5 inches is generally discarded by the technician. That length is enough to track three months’ history of drug use.
Q: What drugs can a hair follicle drug test detect?
A: The hair drug test can detect the presence of any drug or alcoholic substance. Initially, the hair follicle drug test could detect only a few drugs. But the list is ever-growing. Here is a list of drugs that a hair follicle drug test can detect: Marijuana (THC, cannabinoids), cocaine, amphetamines (including methamphetamines), zolpidem (Ambien), basic opiates (heroin, morphine, codeine), alcohol, PCP (Angel Dust), benzodiazepines (Xanax), methadone, barbiturates, expanded opiates (hydrocodone, oxycodone), sufentanil, propoxyphene, Demerol, tramadol, synthetic marijuana, ketamine, fentanyl, and buprenorphine (Suboxone).
Q: What if I have no head or body hair?
A: No hair simply means no drug test. Though this can be a clever way to escape, you may attract suspicion easily.
Q: If I am an infrequent user, will I still test positive in the hair follicle drug test?
A: Yes. Unfortunately, the hair follicle drug test works without any consideration of how long you have been taking a drug. Even if you’re an infrequent user, the test results won’t be affected. If you used a drug only once three months ago, the hair follicle drug test may detect it if you did not use any detox method.
Q: Can passive smoking make me fail a hair follicle drug test?
A: Fortunately, no. Passive smoking does not make you inhale enough substance to cause a high—i.e. get enough THC in your system. Hence, it does not have the power to make you fail a hair drug test.
Final Thoughts
Marijuana is still looked down upon in many places, especially at workplaces. It is considered illegal – even at companies that are located in states where marijuana is legal as a recreational drug.
But then who doesn’t like to feel relaxed and enjoy a weekend pot session without having to worry about being red-flagged at a routine drug test, following a strict detox diet, using other detox products.
What a wonderful world it could have been. Isn’t it?
However, the reality is not so rosy.
It may seem that if marijuana was legal, there would be no stress for users.
However, think about it. Would you have employees who have mind-altering experiences at your workplace? Would you be okay with them all relaxed and doozy when you need them focused?
No. Right?
That is why companies frown upon people who regularly consume marijuana.
Hair follicle drug tests do not focus on your recent marijuana use. It looks at your long-term habits. Failing such a drug test could result in you losing a well-paying job or could even land you in bigger trouble with the law.
So, you must have a few tricks under your sleeve for such occasions.
In the article, we have suggested a few methods you can try to stop that red signal from showing up on your drug test.
A hair follicle drug test can be quite a headache. Sometimes, it could be a bigger cause for concern than a urine test or blood test.
We have suggested every possible way you could pass that frightful hair follicle drug test.
If you opt for detox shampoos and drug-testing home kits, make sure you do your bit of research and then select the brand carefully to ensure that you get your desired results.
The products we have recommended are a few of the well-known detox products from reputable brands in the industry. However, if you go for any of these products, do your research and then select the best.
Good luck with the test!
