Hair drug screening tests are used by different types of people for different reasons. These are mostly used to find out if others have been using illegal drugs or illicit prescription drugs. While largely used by employers as part of pre employment screening, they have other purposes.

Parents who suspect their child of using things like amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy or meth can obtain products that use hair samples. These are widely available from drug and department stores. Parents can obtain the sample themselves and then send it to a lab to be analyzed. These are returned fairly quickly and users feel they are of value. For parents to obtain peace of mind, these may be worth the time and money spend on them.

Various types of tests using hair samples have been in use for some time when used by employers as part of the hiring process. While some employers continue to use urinalysis to provide information about candidates drug habits, this method is becoming less popular for several reasons. Urine requires line of sight processing which means that the lab technician must be able to see it at all times so that no other ingredients can be added to it. It requires refrigeration and special handling. Handling someone elses bodily fluids is not something most people relish. Worst of all, this type of sample can only provide a very limited scope of information. This will usually only encompass a two or three day period.

Hair samples provide more accurate data for users. These types can provide information about whether a person has used things like marijuana, cocaine, meth or prescription drugs like painkillers for up to about three months. Unlike urinalysis, these samples cannot be altered. While some people claim that using bleach or other chemicals on the hair can change the information that it stores, this type of action will not alter results obtained from many of the tests.

There are several companies that use this type of testing and they operate in slightly different ways. One company requires that a fairly large sample must be obtained. For many people this is not a major concern. For those with very fine hair, obtaining a sample that might be close to a 1/4 around can be a hair styling disaster. Other companies are able to use samples that are a fraction of that size. These tests can be used with head hair most of the time. Should a person not have any head hair, it is possible to obtain samples from other places for hair drug screening tests.