How Far Back Do Hair Folicle Tests Go?

I just got off the phone with a recruiter today... she claimed that their hair folicle test goes back an entire year. Is that even possible? I thought the cut off was 90 days.

I just got off the phone with a recruiter today... she claimed that their hair folicle test goes back an entire year. Is that even possible? I thought the cut off was 90 days.

Not sure. But there is information on hair follicle test on this website

1.5" of hair will go back 90 days. Its all based on how long your hair is. My hair is over 16" long however standard procedure at my employer was just 1.5". 90 days is the industry standard and you would have to have longer hair for them to go back any farther if they wanted to.

Depends on the length of your hair.... Given that you grow out about .5inches/ month it will depend on the length of your hair... it does cost the company more to go further back from my understanding ( reading these and other forums) however when insurance companies are involved it could be the "cost of business"

Knight tests back 6 months.

One guy posted online that he thought he was smart and shaved his head and beard. He CLAIMED they pulled hair from "elsewhere". who knows if this is true... but if it was pubes... that could hurt LOL

Hahaha I used to wear a 3 foot ponytail near 15 years, I farmed to donate to Locks of Love in honor of my 6 yr old nephew we lost. Now I keep it shaved to a nub , tried growing it out a couple inches, n can't stand it now go figure.

So guess when I get closer down the line, I need to let it grow out a few inches, for any tests. I haven't smoked weed since I was 17, aside from a couple tastes years back, of this new synthetic crap, I sure don't miss any of that scene! lol

I highly doubt they go back a full year. They may tell people that or the recruiter may have been misinformed. But it would cost quite a sum of money and as others have stated would require quite a length of hair. And yes, they do take hair from other parts of your body if the hair on your head isn't long enough. It seems 3-6 months would be the norm for most companies.

We have a ton of information on drug testing including:

• Hair Follicle vs. Urinalysis: Breakdown By Company - updated list of companies and the type of drug testing they do.
• DOT Alcohol and Drug Policies & Testing - Federal drug testing policies including who is tested, when you're tested, and what they test for.
• CDL Drug & Alcohol Test Methods & Detection Times - includes hair follicle and urinalysis facts along with factors affecting detection times

I just got off the phone with a recruiter today... she claimed that their hair folicle test goes back an entire year. Is that even possible? I thought the cut off was 90 days.

How Far Back Does A Hair Drug Test Go? In a typical hair drug test (taken from the scalp), with the hair sample being at least 1.5 inches in length using 90-120 strands (60 mg) of hair, a hair drug test can identify drug use within a 90 day period. If body hair is used as the sample, the time frame of detection can cover a timeframe of up to 1 year of drug use because the growth pattern of body hair is slower than hair from the scalp. The longer the hair the further back the drug detection timeframe can go.

Phil