Clicky

How to Remove Metabolites from Hair

One of the popular drug screening methods is hair follicle drug testing. A hair drug test stands apart in its precision and length of cannabis and drug use detection.

Whether you consider yourself a marijuana user with chronic or occasional drug exposure, a hair strand drug and alcohol test can catch up with you quickly. 

If you are looking for cheating suggestions to pass a hair drug test, the good news is there are some that work. To test negative, you’ll need to ensure that your hair is clean from drugs. So, how to remove metabolites from hair? Let us check out some ways to do so. 

Ways to beat a hair follicle test for drugs

Hair drug testing and fingernail testing are considered reliable at detecting even small drug concentrations. And unlike with a urine drug test, employees can’t easily swap hair samples.

Regardless of your drug consumption habits, it’s normal to be anxious about hair test results. Luckily, some home remedies increase your chances of passing, though not all are reliable. Here are some of the most popular hair testing tricks. 

Using hair detox shampoos to cleanse drug metabolites

The best and easiest way to get negative hair test results is to use a hair follicle detox shampoo designed for this purpose. These products feature a unique formulation that allows you to pass a hair follicle drug test.

Shampoo your hair 24 hours before your hair drug testing appointment. You may also be able to use it on a day of the actual hair follicle drug test, though it’s better to start cleansing three to ten days before your hair follicle test. 

Using lice treatment to pass hair test

Some marijuana users swear by lice treatments to trick a hair drug test. This type of shampoo is designed to remove lice from head hair.

Among the most common options are Permethrin shampoos, containing levels of substances such as butylated hydroxytoluene, lanolin alcohols, glycerin, acids, and coconut oil.

The problem is that potent chemicals in lice treatment shampoos irritate the scalp and may trigger adulteration flags, depending on the drug detection methodology. So, it’s best to stick with more reliable methods of passing a hair follicle drug test.

Using hair follicle test bleach and redye method

One of the popular home remedies to pass a hair follicle drug test is bleaching hair and then re-dying it to the natural color.

Like other methods, its results are not reliable, so one Internet user invented the Jerry G method, which incorporates hair detox shampoo and hydrogen peroxide, and other products.

A pre-requisite to accomplishing this method is to stop using all THC substances for at least ten days before hair testing. However, many people successfully passed their hair follicle drug test as quickly as the next day.

Bleached hair is then treated with hair dye containing ammonia that matches your natural hair color. Next, you need to cleanse hair with a detox shampoo to flush residual drug metabolites and reduce damage to the hair shaft, so it’s still suitable for hair follicle testing.

Abstinence

According to some research, drug concentrations for substances such as cocaine are undetectable in hair samples after abstinence from drug use for about 90 days.

The study results showed that cocaine metabolite levels in hair samples dropped significantly during the first three months after the last drug exposure. Afterward, a hair follicle drug test detected no further traces of cocaine in the hair shaft after 120 days.

However, you won’t always know when a hair follicle drug test will be required. It’s also a gamble to hope hair follicle testing won’t detect anything in your hair samples just because 90 days have passed. False positives happen, so you may want to remove metabolites from hair instead. 

FAQ

Which drug metabolites can be detected in hair samples?

A hair follicle test can detect several drugs, both illicit and prescribed. The most common ones are examined using a 5-panel hair follicle drug test. As such, the following are detected:

  • Cocaine
  • Marijuana (THC)
  • Opiates (including codeine)
  • Amphetamine/methamphetamine
  • PCP/Phencyclidine

Hair testing can be used to detect acid (LSD), but it’s not very common.

How do THC metabolites get into hair samples?

Upon consumption of drugs, the body also starts to metabolize them. They quickly course through the body, with some of them reaching the hair follicles. The metabolites from drugs get absorbed in the shafts and roots of the hair.

This means that head hair tips may also test positive for consumed drugs as hair grows. 

Will bleaching your hair pass a hair follicle test?

Bleaching hair may work, but not in all cases. The most reliable option is to use a detox shampoo as part of the Macujo method

Does dying your hair affect drug tests?

Dying your hair alone won’t significantly affect hair follicle drug test results. Hair dye is mainly used by people trying to mask that their hair is bleached.

If I shave my head, will I pass a hair toxicology test?

Hair samples can still be collected from other parts of the body. Usually, a technician will collect a body hair sample if the person has a shaved or bald head. 

Can I wear a wig to pass a hair drug test?

A wig will be of no help. Hair follicle test administrators will be able to determine if you are wearing a wig, and they’ll ask for a real human hair sample. 

Conclusion

Knowing how to remove drug metabolites from hair is crucial if you want to pass a hair follicle test. This type of test is not easy to pass, but with the help of the solutions and products mentioned above, you can flush metabolites from your hair.

Bikas Gurung

Bikas Gurung is a human rights activist representing International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) and United Nations Strategic Advisory Group on drug use. He received his Master’s degree in Public Health from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and has been recognized for his work by winning "The Best Film Award" at the 2013 Harm Reduction Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania.