How we collect hair

About 120 strands — roughly 100 milligrams, similar in thickness to a shoelace tip. Collected as a small, discreet cut from the crown.

At least 1–3 cm for drug and steroid testing. For alcohol (EtG) international guidelines recommend a minimum of 3 cm, because shorter samples are hard to interpret reliably in legal contexts.

The crown, in almost all cases. It has the most consistent growth rate, which gives the most accurate timeline, and it is also the easiest place on the head to keep a cut out of sight.

Yes, if head hair is unavailable or too short — underarm, beard, chest, arm, leg or pubic hair, about two tablespoons. Timelines are less precise: body hair has more dormant follicles, so each centimetre can represent up to four months rather than one. Head hair is always preferred for legal matters.

Usually not, and it is something we take real care over. Keeping your appearance intact matters as much to us as getting the lab what it needs, so we take the sample as several small sections from the crown rather than one visible chunk, and position them so the surrounding hair falls over the cut. If your hair is longer than a few centimetres, the cut is generally not noticeable once it settles. If your hair is very short — around 1 to 2 cm — there is less to work with, so we will show you what is achievable before we start rather than after. Nobody should leave a collection appointment self-conscious about how it looks.

No. Hair is trimmed with scissors close to the scalp, and nothing is pulled from the follicle.

One visit — identification, paperwork, the cut and sealing, then you are done. We run to schedule, so please arrive on time.

Government photo ID (licence or passport), payment or the payer's details, and reading glasses if you use them.

Yes, if you are interstate or cannot attend. We mail a kit to your GP, who acts as official collector. To preserve chain of custody the GP must not be a family friend or relative. The kit costs extra, and attending in person remains more accurate and straightforward.

Generally 8 to 14 days — the time it takes for new hair containing the substance to grow above the scalp. Growth rates vary between about 0.7 cm and 1.5 cm per month, so this is an estimate.

A 3 cm segment reflects about three months, based on average growth of 1 cm per month. 6 cm extends that to roughly six months. Individual growth rates vary, so timelines are estimates rather than exact dates.

Yes. Every appointment is judgement-free and confidential. Results are emailed to you and shared with nobody without your explicit written consent, unless required by law.