HTMA Test Canada: Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis

Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) measures the concentration of selected elements in the hair specimen you submit, reported against the laboratory's reference intervals. Hair reflects elements incorporated into hair as it grew (scalp-near hair roughly covers the past few months of growth) and can be affected by external contamination, hair treatments and collection conditions. Blood tests measure a different specimen. Hair testing does not replace appropriate medical assessment or conventional tests such as blood work.

Collection is simple and painless. After ordering, you'll receive detailed instructions and your HTMA submission form by email to print at home — no physical kit is shipped. You'll cut about 1–1.5 inches from the root, approximately 1–1.5 tablespoons of clippings in total, from 3–4 areas near the scalp (ideally the nape of your neck), keeping only the section closest to the scalp. Fold the hair in a small piece of clean printer paper, place it in a plain paper envelope (not plastic), and mail it with your completed submission form in a larger mailing envelope, using your own mailing materials and postage.

If hair is dyed/bleached, wait 6–8 weeks or at least 7 washes. Follow the collection instructions emailed after checkout and contact us before collecting if you have questions about other treatments.

The laboratory typically sends results to us 10–14 days after it receives your sample, and we will contact you once they arrive. Results are delivered by email. The laboratory timeline is the same across packages; the custom Report of Findings and Premium video are prepared after the lab results arrive.

Samples are analyzed by Trace Elements, Inc. in Addison, Texas using ICP-Mass Spectrometry. The laboratory publishes its quality-control procedures and CLIA laboratory licence number 45-D0481787. CLIA certification concerns the laboratory's testing processes; it does not make us a clinic and does not validate every health interpretation.

Not for every use it is promoted for. Trace Elements describes its quality-control procedures, but laboratory measurement quality does not validate every interpretation: interpretation of hair mineral patterns is not established for all the uses it is promoted for. A 2001 expert panel convened by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) discussed limitations of hair analysis, such as external contamination and variable laboratory methods. Interpret results in clinical context with a licensed healthcare professional.