Step-by-step instructions to complete Follicle Analysis

It is crucial that the hair sample be taken correctly. Please follow the instructions on the hair sample form properly. Water softeners will invalidate the validity of the sodium/potassium ratio. If you have a water softener you must wash and rinse your hair in another water source at least 2-3 times before collecting the sample.

For at home color treatments you must wait 4-6 weeks and wash the hair a minimum of 10 times before collecting the sample. For salon treatments, such as perms, color, highlights and so forth, you must wait 6-8 weeks before taking the sample in addition to washing the hair at least 10 times.

There are certain shampoos and hair products that can also alter the test results. They include:

• Grecian Formula: contains lead & iron
• Head & Shoulders: contains zinc
• Selsun Blue: contains selenium
• Gels, creams & hair spray: contain small amounts of minerals, but can attract minerals from the dust and dirt that contain metals
• Swimming Pools: increases copper & sodium

If it is possible, use a clarifying shampoo, (one that removes all of the products from the hair), and do not use any products on the hair until the sample is taken. Take the sample after shampooing and after the hair has been dry for 4 hours, but not more than 24 hours for best results.

Detailed Instructions

• Sampling: Hair should be clean and dry when it is being sampled. The sample should be taken between 4 & 24 hours after washing. For the best quality results the sample should not be dyed, bleached, or permed. Retest samples should be taken from the same area as the original sample if at all possible.
  
  
• Sampling Location: Head hair taken from the nape of the neck, (click here for illustration), will provide the best sample. The growth of the hair here is relatively steady and should give good, consistent results.

  As an option, axillary hair, pubic hair, or other body hair may be used. The growth pattern here varies and is rather sporadic but it produces adequate results. Note, however, that samples from the head and different parts of the body should not be mixed together.

  Sampling axillary or pubic hair is also a very good way to confirm that elevated toxic minerals which have been found in the head hair are also present in the whole system.

• Equipment Needed: A standard comb and regular stainless steel scissors are all that is basically needed. For short hair, thinning shears may be used to keep from disturbing the hair style as much as possible. With long hair, a hair pin or clip may also be useful.

• Cutting a Sample: Comb and lift a section of hair at the nape of the neck. Either pin or clip the section or have the patient hold it up out of the way. Separate it into a smaller section and cut the hair off as close as possible. For shorter hair, (1 ½ inches in length or less), use the entire sample. For long hair, (over 1 ½ inches in length), cut off and use the 1 to 1 ½ inches closest to the scalp, (the root end). Discard the rest.

• Weighing the Sample: Set up the weight card provided with the test kit on a flat surface, such as a table top. Placing the small samples inside the circle on the card, continue sampling until the scale tips, indicating that there is approximately 125 mgs in the total sample. This should be about one heaping tablespoonful.