Learning how to pass a hair follicle drug test can get you out of some serious trouble. Hair follicle drug tests are well-known as the toughest to beat. Although not the most common method of drug testing, they do come up from time to time, and you had best have a plan in place. If you are here hoping you don’t have to shave your head to get your dream job or try some other whacky internet home remedy, we can help. Read on to learn the science behind hair follicle testing and how you can pass a hair follicle drug test with confidence.Â
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How Does a Hair Follicle Drug Test Work?
A hair follicle is a pore surrounding the root of the hair. There are over five million follicles on your head, making sampling fairly easy. Your hair follicles protect your hair, encourage new growth, and grow new blood vessels.Â
Hair follicle testing is a very accurate method of detecting toxins from drug use. Many hairs are pulled from the root for screening to test a sample. The active substance in any drug begins to take effect as soon as it hits the bloodstream. From there, it circulates as inactive metabolites to various body parts.Â
Consider THC for example. Once the buzz wears off, the THC is converted into a metabolite. Some of these metabolites quickly make their way out of the body via feces and urine while others are stored in the body’s fat cells. Eventually, all remnants of the metabolites will detox from the body if you discontinue use.Â
Because hair follicles each have a blood vessel that feeds the growth of new hair, these metabolites travel through the blood into hair follicles. Although the amount is not bountiful, it’s enough to trigger a positive drug test when sampled. And, as we’re about to find out, this detection window is alarmingly long.
How Long Does THC Stay in Hair Follicles?
There are four ways to test for drugs. Urinalysis is the most common type of test, and it can find traces of THC for up to 30 days since last use. This, of course, depends on how much was consumed and how frequently. Blood samples can detect THC for a few days, but the metabolites tend to leave the bloodstream pretty quickly on their way to other tissues.Â
Saliva samples have a shorter window of 24-72 hours and is not the most popular method of drug testing. A saliva test is most often administered to catch someone in the act, such as being high at work. Read this article to learn how to pass a mouth swab test that uses saliva.
Yet, a hair follicle holds onto those metabolites for up to 90 days. This can be an excruciatingly long window if you get caught off guard by a drug test. Even with adequate notice, three months is quite a long time for preparation, and most people are not offered that luxury.Â
A person that has only smoked weed a couple of times probably won’t fail a hair follicle test, but anyone who consumes regularly is at risk. Hair follicle drug tests are the least forgiving.
Home Remedies: Myth or Fact
When you first search for how to pass a hair follicle drug test, you might come across some pretty crazy ideas. Others seem to have merit, but how can you know for sure? Here are a few of the top ideas roaming around the web.
Jerry G Method
The Jerry G Method is pretty tough on hair, but has some anecdotal evidence backing its claim to pass a hair follicle test. First, it requires you to stop using any THC products at least 10 days before your test. Then, you will bleach and dye your hair (to match your natural color) with an ammonia-based hair dye. Next, you use a toxin-rid shampoo, only to bleach and dye your hair yet again the day before your test.Â
After that, you apply a thick paste made from baking soda to your entire scalp and leave it in for 45 minutes. Only then can you wash your hair with regular shampoo and another round of toxin-rid shampoo.Â
Some people claim that this method works. However, it’s not proven effective for everyone, and it is very harsh on your scalp. Bleach can leave burn marks, and intense series of bleaching and dying can cause hair to break off or fall out altogether.
Macujo Method
The Macujo Method aims to open up the hair follicles and get into the center cortex to rinse out the drug metabolites. Following this home remedy, you first wet your hair and soak it in white vinegar. Instead of rinsing it out, add a detox shampoo on top and let it sit for one hour. After you rinse it out, use another round of detox shampoo for two washes.Â
Then it gets a little weird. Next, wash your hair with liquid laundry detergent a few times to really scrub it clean. And then, use another round of detox shampoo.Â
To be most effective, it’s recommended that you do this entire protocol at least three times before your drug test. Again, this method is not 100% accurate and probably not worth the risk.Â
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide bleaches the hair but with a less offensive odor than traditional bleach. It may also be better suited for those with a sensitive scalp since it won’t burn like bleach. However, you are still subject to breaking your hair and losing chunks altogether since you need to wash with hydrogen peroxide several times before a test.Â
At best, hydrogen peroxide may remove up to half the drug metabolites in your hair sample, but it will never be able to get into the cortex to remove all remnants of drug use.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Many people use apple cider vinegar to cleanse their hair and increase shine. It’s great at removing residue and oil from your scalp, and it can also balance out your pH levels. Since THC tends to increase pH levels, it’s believed that apple cider vinegar can counteract the balance and cheat the test into thinking the THC is gone or low enough to pass.Â
The method is simple. Soak your hair and scalp with a few tablespoons or more apple cider vinegar and leave it in with a shower cap for 30 minutes. Massage your scalp as much as possible. Then simply shampoo your scalp and rinse away the vinegar.
The problem is that apple cider vinegar is not acidic enough to break into the hair follicle to rinse away the THC remnants, making this an unreliable method.Â
Shave Your Head
A sample size requires enough hair to equal the thickness of a pencil. The hairs should be about one and a half inches long, but if they are shorter than that, more hair can be used in the sample. What happens if you’re bald? Unfortunately, you are opening yourself up to samples being taken elsewhere from your body.Â
Are you really willing to be completely bald head to toe to get out of a drug test? That’s what you’d have to do to avoid a hair follicle test. Not to mention, you might look pretty guilty if you ended up totally hairless right before your big test.Â
Using Detox Shampoo to Pass a Hair Follicle Drug Test
If you are smoking cannabis, there’s only one verified way to truly cleanse your hair so you can pass a hair follicle test. The Folli-Clean Shampoo by Pass Your Test cleanses hair in 60 minutes, with results lasting up to 24 hours. It’s easy to use and won’t wreck your strands. Instead, it penetrates deeply to dissolve toxins. Here’s what you need to do:
- Wash hair thoroughly with this product using a quarter bottle (.5 oz). Leave shampoo in your hair for 5 minutes.
- Rinse and leave the hair damp.
- Wait 5 minutes, and then apply the remainder of the bottle (1.5 oz.) to your hair by massaging thoroughly into your scalp using only your fingers. Wash and massage any body hair you may also want to be cleansed. Leave shampoo in your hair for 5 minutes, for maximum results use warm water.
- Rinse and style your hair but avoid ALL hair products, including gels and sprays.
- Wait 1 hour, and then your hair is cleansed for 24 hours
Pass Your Test is the leader in detox products, with thousands of satisfied customers. They offer a money-back guarantee, although their customer success stories suggest you won’t need it. Check out their website and learn more about their total body cleanse programs, which will help you pass any test, any time.Â
