Hair Test - When to go cold turkey?

[pixel]

Okay, today is Saturday, January 6th. Somewhere in the time between May 12th and May 30th I will be having a hair test for a summer job I'm getting. I have been heavily smoking (multiple times daily) for about a year and a half or so. my hair has always been short but never buzzed, i guess u could compare it to a crew cut but its longer and wavy. i dont know if any of that matters or else i wouldnt be describing my locks to you

anyways i'm just wondering if i'm already fucked or if not when is a SAFE and SURE time to quit (i don't mind it being awhile). thanks in advance if anyone can help

pixel Reviewed by pixel on 01-06-2007. Hair Test - When to go cold turkey? Okay, today is Saturday, January 6th. Somewhere in the time between May 12th and May 30th I will be having a hair test for a summer job I'm getting. I have been heavily smoking (multiple times daily) for about a year and a half or so. my hair has always been short but never buzzed, i guess u could compare it to a crew cut but its longer and wavy. i dont know if any of that matters or else i wouldnt be describing my locks to you anyways i'm just wondering if i'm already fucked or if not when Rating: 5

[Markass]

I'm not sure if this is right or not, but from what I've been told if you've smoked and you have hair, it's going to be in your hair.

[greendove]

From what I've read, hair tests typically go back 90 days, and any longer than that, the results are deemed unreliable. It might be a good idea to go ahead and quit now just to be safe.

[FakeBoobsRule]

I'm not sure if this is right or not, but from what I've been told if you've smoked and you have hair, it's going to be in your hair.

Yes and no on that. There are limits so more to follow on this.

i think he might be right ^^^
but if not then all the hair (from root to tip) from when you stop smoking should be cut before the test but like i said, markass might be right b/c it could be stored in your hair folicles too and not just the hair itself

That's not really accurate. One, THC is not stored in the hair follicle. THC is deposited in the hair from the blood and not stored in the follicle. I know sometimes you will hear the term "hair follicle test" but that is really not what they are testing. They are testing the hair shaft. Second, THC will be deposited for a few days even after smoking because of high levels of THC still circulating in the blood. Your urine may test postive still for THC but depending on your smoking history, the blood levels will fall and the hair will stop receiving high enough levels of THC to test positive. Third, in addition to these extra days you have to account for the time needed for this dirty hair to grow out from the follicle to the point where it is far enough out of the scalp to get cut. This is usually 7-10 days. Fourth, if his hair is too short one of three things will happen:

1) They will use body hair
2) They will use nail shavings.
3) Failure due to refusal to submit sample.

From what I've read, hair tests typically go back 90 days, and any longer than that, the results are deemed unreliable. It might be a good idea to go ahead and quit now just to be safe.

Good job Greendove. Maybe you read my posts about how they can only go back 90 days! Maybe not. Also, you are right the only 100% way to pass the hair test is not to use for a little over 90 days. I think though since this person is willing to quit way before the test and keeps his short to begin with I think he can have a few more weeks to enjoy.

Let us see how long this person has. First I would like Pixel to read my post in this thread to learn a little more about the hair test.

http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=95355

Head hair grows at about the rate of .53 inches per month. 1 and 1/2 inches of hair is 90 days of history. So if Pixel keeps his hair at this length or longer it would be safe to smoke till late January, say Jan. 25th or so. That would give him time for his body to stop depositing THC in his hair and for the dirty hair to grow out (3 days +10 days). So from about February 10th (4 more days thrown in as a precaution) onward his hair will be clean, easily giving him time to have 1 and 1/2 inches of clean hair.

Pixel, if your hair is shorter than this we can figure out what your end date should be, which will be a little later than Jan. 25th but I wouldn't want you to push it too much. You also don't want your hair shorter than about 3/4 of an inch or some collectors may want to go for body hair which has slightly different grow rates.

[Mosiah]

I've heard it stays in your hair between 1-2 months before completely decaying, and if you don't have hair on your head (like me) they will most definately take hair from elsewhere, if you catch my drift.

[FakeBoobsRule]

I've heard it stays in your hair between 1-2 months before completely decaying

You heard wrong. If you have 1 and 1/2 inches or more of hair, the test is reliable out to 90 days. That is one of the selling points of the hair test, it goes back farther than urinalysis. Please try to post facts and not rumors in the drug testing forum because people's jobs or freedom is at stake and this is not a good place to post inaccurate info.

[pixel]

interesting.. my hair is about at shortest on the top and a 3 with a buzzer on the sides

this is not me but and i know its a kind of a dumb picture but its the closest head of hair i could find comparable to my own

where do they cut your hair? if its on the top i only got about an inch there, near the back-top area maybe 1 1/2 at the most

[nikweiser]

shave your head!

[FakeBoobsRule]

Obviously Nikweiser has never taken a hair test because Nik just gave some horrible advice.

Pixel, they take the hair usually from the crown or below so that the hair is pointing down or laying down to cover up anything. They need about 70 strands if it is 1 and 1/2 inches, more if shorter and may take it from several spots to prevent bald spots.

[Mosiah]

You heard wrong. If you have 1 and 1/2 inches or more of hair, the test is reliable out to 90 days. That is one of the selling points of the hair test, it goes back farther than urinalysis. Please try to post facts and not rumors in the drug testing forum because people's jobs or freedom is at stake and this is not a good place to post inaccurate info.

I try not to, sorry about that. Normaly I'd post a disclaimer with that sort of thing.