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In the past decade more and more companies are choosing to make their potential employees go for a hair drug test before they give them the job. In fact, a good portion of employers are even choosing the hair drug test over the standard urine drug test. There is a good reason for this.

A hair drug test is much more invasive and thorough then a standard urine drug test. Urine tests only incorporate the last 30 days, and only with certain drugs. A hair drug test can cover a period of almost 90 days depending on the growth rate of your hair. On some people who have slower growing hair, a hair drug test can go back even further than that to find out what drugs you might have in your system.

A hair drug test uses a small sample of hair which is cut from your hair as close to the scalp as possible. The most recent area, usually around 1.5 inches, is then tested for drug molecules and the specific metabolites that can only be produced after your body processes a certain drug. If you have done drugs of any kind, the traces will then be inserted into the follicle of your hair after leaving the bloodstream.

A hair drug test can test for many of the most popular drugs around such as Cocaine, Opiates like Morphine and Codeine, Marijuana, PCP's, and Methamphetamines such as Ecstasy. Those five drug classes are included in all mandated hair drug test issued by the laboratory. Hair grows on average at about ½ inch per month, so for the most part if you have done drugs in the past 90 days you will be caught and most likely will lose the job you are applying for.

If you think you're exempt from a hair drug test because you may be bald, you are wrong. A hair drug test can also be performed on body hair. Body hair grows much slower than the hair on your head so any substance can be found in your body hair if it was done within the past year. It is hard to tell at which time frame the drug entered your body, so it would then be up to the employer to decide if it is reasonable to not hire you based on a body hair drug test.

A hair drug test is far more effective than a urine test, especially in low-level drug use which can sometimes only be found for up to 7 days. Marijuana is one of those drugs that can usually be hidden through various means of cover-ups usually sold on the Internet. Cocaine falls under the same category; it usually leaves your system in 7 days as well. With a hair drug test, they will be sure to find any and all drugs that might have entered your system. So, if you are planning on applying for a job that specifically requests a hair drug test, you need to make sure that you are drug free because they will find out.