Why Choose Hair Drug Testing?

Drug testing is required of individuals for many different reasons. Prospective employers often request that applicants under a hair follicle drug test to find suitable candidates who do not take any type of drugs. Drugs can affect an individual’s ability to perform work by affecting their judgment and causing various physical and psychological problems.

Coaches and sports organizations may requires athletes, both amateur and professional, to have drug testing, as taking drugs can give them an undeserved competitive advantage and cause major health problems. Some parents even decide to have their children undergo hair drug testing if they suspect possible drug abuse.

Fortunately, the hair follicle drug test is one of the simplest types of drug testing that can be conducted. The test only requires that a person submits several hair strands, which is one of the easiest methods. The process involves obtaining a hair sample, which is then placed in a sealed envelope and mailed to a laboratory for examination.

Another advantage of using hair drug testing is the fact that it can be used to detect drug use for as many as 90 days. Consequently, even if a person has not used drugs for a while, the results of the rest will be positive if drugs were taken any time within the past 3 months. This is quite different from other types of drug tests such as saliva and urine tests, which only detect drug use for as little as a few days. The reason that drugs can be tested for a much longer time frame is that small amounts of chemicals from the drugs are trapped within each strand of hair.

Compared to other available drug testing methods, hair drug testing is one of the fastest and most accurate. A hair follicle drug test is often chosen because its accuracy rate is usually ten times higher than other existing drug testing methods. Many employers, coaches and parents choose this type of drug testing because they desire results that are very accurate.

The confidentiality of hair testing is yet another reason why it is often the preferred drug testing method. There is no need for people to be embarrassed by having to provide a urine or saliva sample. All that is required is several hair strands to produce very accurate results.