People often shave their heads or bleach their hair to avoid hair drug tests. When this happens, labs can test body hair or fingernails instead.
Labs use nail clippers to take nail samples. They cut just above the fingertip. Nails must be clean, with no nail polish. Some people can’t have nail tests. If you have diabetes or poor blood flow, the results may not work well.
Labs use special machines to check for drugs in nails. Unlike hair tests, nail tests can’t show when someone used drugs. But they can show if drugs were used at all. The test works differently for fingernails and toenails:
- Fingernails show drug use in the past 6 months
- Toenails show drug use in the past year
Labs use nail tests when they can’t test hair. This might be when:
- Someone has no hair
- Hair has been bleached
- Religion doesn’t allow hair testing
- Hair is too short
- Someone has hair loss and worries about testing
Some people don’t have enough body hair to test. They might shave for sports like cycling. Nail testing helps in these cases.
Most times, labs don’t need to test both hair and nails. They use nails when hair tests won’t work. But sometimes, when hair is very short, nail tests can show drug use over a longer time.
Here’s what makes each test different:
- Hair tests show when drugs were used
- Nail tests just show if drugs were used
- Courts accept both types of tests
Nail tests give clear yes or no answers. They show drug use over:
- 6 months for fingernails
- 12 months for toenails
Nail tests work well when:
- You need to check a longer time period
- Hair testing won’t work
- You just need to know if drugs were used
Courts trust nail test results. While they don’t give as much detail as hair tests, they help when hair testing isn’t possible.
Both kinds of tests help labs find drug use. The best test depends on what will work for each person.
Photo by Anthony Cunningham for Zoom Testing
Zoom Testing is a leading UK drug testing company and a supplier of Drug Test Kits.
