Hair strand drug test
Our UKAS-accredited service delivers accurate results in just 3 working days. With expert analysis and streamlined in-house processes, testing is simple, secure, and stress-free—helping you make informed decisions, without the wait.
Get clear, accurate results with hair strand testing you can trust.
Our hair strand testing can detect a wide and growing range of drugs and alcohol, covering use from as little as seven days up to six months – or longer if required. By segmenting the hair, we can also show patterns of use over time, giving a clear picture of when substances were taken.
Testing can be tailored to your needs. We can look for individual drugs, or provide broader insight with our panels: the Common 9 (C-9), which covers the most frequently used substances, and the Extended 18 (E-18), which doubles the coverage at the same cost and turnaround.
Our lab is accredited to ISO 17025 and UKAS Lab 51 standards
Hair samples are collected by trained professionals, usually from the head, and we only need a very small amount – about the width of a shoelace – which is less than many other laboratories require.
Our highly sensitive equipment allows us to detect even trace levels of substances, and our scientists carefully consider the condition of the hair when reporting results.
Should an individual’s hair be completely unsuitable for testing, we can still use body hair or fingernails – for an accurate result.
How hair strand testing works
When a person ingests drugs or alcohol, the substance enters the body where it’s absorbed into the bloodstream.
The body breaks the substance down into metabolites. These are chemical markers left behind as the substance is processed.
As hair grows, these markers are deposited into the hair follicle.
Once embedded, the metabolites stay in place, preserving the chemical record of substacne use over weeks or months.
The presence of the metabolites helps to prove that the compound was ingested by the donor, and not simply the result of external contamination – for example, another person using drugs in the donor’s presence.
Hair usually grows at around one centimetre per month. Because of this, each centimetre of hair represents roughly a month’s history of drug use—or non-use.
This is what makes hair strand testing so effective, offering a long detection window that can reveal patterns of substance use going back as far as the hair extends.
What you need to know about hair testing:
Detection window:
For alcohol, 7 days–6 months
For drugs, 7 days–indefinite (dependant on hair length)
Collection method:
A hair sample of around 5-millimetre thickness is taken from the head or body of the donor, and deposited in a sealed, tamper-proof envelope. This is sent to the laboratory for testing.
Advantages:
Indicates patterns of drug or alcohol use over weeks and months
Highly sensitive; highly accurate
Simple, non-invasive collection
Fast results
