Beat The Unbeatable Hair Drug Test
This article is a little off-topic, but I find it interesting. At my job, employee drug testing is a very serious matter. We build apps for the US government, after all. My primary employer does random hair drug tests, especially for contractors like me.
Last Wednesday, my team lost a really good programmer over a failed hair drug test. I was talking to my friend Tom when he told me that several other contractors he knows for a fact are smoking pot outside of work, but they didn’t get caught on the same test.
For the next 15 minutes, he introduced me to the “black art” of methods that pot smokers use to cheat the newest infallible drug test, the hair follicle test. I do not do drugs of any kind (honestly, really), but I found it fascinating that people have figured out how to cheat what should be a foolproof, onsite test like a hair sample.
Here are the 4 ways my fellow contractors are using to beat the hair drug test (or so they say):
- shave your body free of hair
- get around the test (ref: http://www.wikihow.com/Pass-a-Hair-Follicle-Drug-Test)
- using special detox shampoos
- vinegar home rinse
People Are Crafty
Whenever new laws and regulations are passed, it doesn’t take long for people to find clever ways to beat the system.
Many employers, including the government, have grappled with the problem of drug use and how to deal with employees they suspect of using drugs. While some employers are concerned about the effect of drugs on the overall productivity of staff members, others are concerned because of the nature of the tasks their employees have to undertake.
When employees are charged with operating industrial machinery or other equipment that requires high concentration levels, they simply cannot consume any substance that impairs their judgment.
The government especially expects everyone involved in sensitive areas such as defense to be totally free of drugs. This rule applies to both direct employees and those under defense contractors.
Recently, the hair drug test has been hailed as the foolproof way of catching drug users in workplaces where the use of drugs is restricted.
How Does The Hair Drug Test Work?
If you have ever taken drugs, you may or may not be aware that the toxins from the drugs are circulated in your blood throughout the body. As they are transported around the body, a small amount of the toxins are deposited in different parts of the body, including the hair follicles. This means that anyone who would like to conduct a drug test on you only needs to test a sample of your hair to tell conclusively whether you have been using drugs or not.
The hair drug test then happens to be about as accurate as testing urine, except it can detect drugs over a longer period of time. A urine test only reveals the use of drugs if they have been consumed between 48 – 72 hours. After the lapse of the period, the traces of the drugs disappear from the urine. However, the drug molecules still remain in hair follicles.
A hair test, then, will reveal the type of drugs taken with high accuracy and over a long period of time. The hair test also reveals whether the drug user has been using it for an extended period of time or whether it was just a one-off occurrence. For example, hair growth of 3 months with embedded toxins means that the subject has been using the drugs for at least 3 months.
If you are being interviewed about your history of drug use and you happen to have used drugs for a while and then stopped, it is a good idea to be truthful. The hair test is likely to give an indication of when you used the drugs and also when you stopped.
How To Beat The Hair Drug Test
A lot has been said about the drug test on hair being very precise. Like all other processes, some people have been wondering how to beat the test. Some have claimed that they have passed the test even though they have been taking drugs.
However, the truth is that if you hope to get a job in the disciplined armed forces or any other industry which tests for drug use, you have to ensure that you stop taking the drugs at least 3 months before the commencement of the interviews.
Within the period, you may want to detoxify and remove as many traces of the toxins in your body as possible. There are a number of ways they claim to do this. The methods include:
1. Shaving the body free of hair
It is a fact that it takes 5 days for the hair to grow from the root to the scalp. If you shave your hair completely and stop taking the drugs for at least 7 days, you will be clean. For this method to be effective, you have to shave all the hair on your body and not just on the head. The biggest flaw with this approach is that your employer or potential employer will question why you had to shave with a hair drug test approach. If they cannot get your hair sample, they will opt for a blood test which will reveal your drug use.
2. Vinegar rinse home remedy
This method requires you to have distilled or white vinegar. It involves applying the vinegar over your hair and saturating it for over 10 minutes. You must ensure that you rub your hair thoroughly so that every strand of hair is soaked. Once you are satisfied that you have applied the vinegar evenly, you need to let it remain on your hair for an extra 15 minutes.
Next, you must soak your hair with salicylic acid, a commonly used acne treatment. You should ensure that the product has a 2% salicylic acid concentration. Without rinsing any of the products you have applied, take a cupful of liquid detergent and rub it on your hair. You need to let this detergent remain on your hair for about 30 minutes.
After the time is up, you need to carefully rinse your hair with a lot of water. After you are done rinsing, you can then dye your hair with a standard dye to your desired hair color.
Some people who claim to have used this method successfully say they repeat it at least once.
3. Detox Shampoos
Some people say that detox shampoos do work because they detox the hair follicles all the way to the roots. With so many detox shampoos in the market, one needs to be careful about the one they choose. Since detox hair products are not FDA tested, you are on your own. Two of the most commonly mentioned products include the Aloe Rid Shampoo as well as the Toxin Wash Detox Shampoo.
Although many people have claimed success against a hair drug test, you need to plan ahead to ensure your own success.
