Hair mineral test (HTMA)

What this test is

Hair mineral analysis tests a piece of your hair for minerals and metals. Some clinics use it to check nutrition or look for toxic metals. The best study of this test sent one person's hair, split into pieces, to six different labs. The labs gave very different results for the same hair. Some said a mineral was low. Others said the same mineral was normal or high. The labs also gave different diet and supplement advice from the same sample. Because of this, health guides say hair testing is not a reliable way to check nutrition or metal exposure. If you're worried about a nutrient level, a blood test is the reliable option. If you're worried about a specific metal like lead or mercury, there are validated blood or urine tests for that.