Hair mineral analysis (HTMA) is a non-invasive laboratory test that measures the levels of essential minerals and toxic metals in your hair. Because hair reflects the mineral content of your body’s tissues, HTMA provides a long-term view of your internal biochemical environment — unlike blood tests, which reflect short-term status.

This test reveals how well your body is absorbing and utilizing nutrients, offering valuable insight into your metabolic activity, stress response, and toxic metal exposure.

A Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) is beneficial for anyone interested in gaining deeper insight into their mineral status, toxic metal exposure, and overall metabolic health. This non-invasive test is ideal for:

✅ Adults and children seeking to identify nutritional imbalances or heavy metal burdens.

✅ Individuals with chronic fatigue, stress, or mood concerns who want to explore mineral patterns linked to energy production and adrenal health.

✅ Those with ongoing health issues such as thyroid imbalance, blood sugar dysregulation, or difficulty with detoxification.

✅ People pursuing personalized wellness plans who wish to tailor their diet and supplementation based on their unique mineral profile.

✅ Parents wanting to support their child’s development, as mineral imbalances can impact growth, behavior, and focus.

HTMA can be a valuable tool for proactive health monitoring—even for those who feel generally well but want to optimize their mineral balance and guard against hidden toxic exposures.

HTMA empowers you with personalized nutritional information based on your body’s long-term mineral retention. Unlike generic diets or supplement plans, this test shows:

• Which supplements to take — and which to avoid
• Your metabolic type and current stress levels
• Mineral ratios that may affect thyroid, adrenal, and blood sugar function

With more than 40 years of research, HTMA is trusted by doctors, nutritionists, and holistic practitioners worldwide.

Minerals and toxic metals play a critical role in your body’s health—and imbalances or toxic exposures can contribute to a wide range of symptoms and conditions. Testing with Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) provides valuable insight because:

✅ Minerals are essential for life. They regulate vital processes like energy production, nerve function, hormone balance, and detoxification. Even small deficiencies or excesses can affect your well-being.

✅ Toxic metals can accumulate silently. Heavy metals like lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium may build up over time from environmental, dietary, or occupational exposures—often without obvious early symptoms.

✅ It helps uncover hidden patterns. HTMA reveals ratios and trends (such as calcium-to-magnesium or sodium-to-potassium balance) that standard blood tests might miss. These patterns provide clues about stress response, adrenal function, thyroid health, and more.

✅ It guides targeted support. With accurate data on your mineral and metal status, you can make informed decisions about diet, supplements, and detox strategies—customized to your body’s needs.

In short, testing gives you a clearer picture of what’s happening inside your body, helping you take proactive steps toward better health.

Yes — when the hair sample is collected properly, HTMA is highly accurate. Trace Elements, Inc. specializes in this testing and analyzes over 50,000 samples per year. They use advanced instrumentation and strict quality control protocols to ensure reliability and precision.

It depends. Some products can interfere with test results:

✅ OK before sample collection:

Most modern chemical-based hair dyes (as they do not contain minerals)

❌ Avoid or delay taking sample if using:

Grecian Formula (contains lead)
Henna (may contain metallic salts)
Hair Print (mineral-based colorants)

Tips for optimal results:

Collect your hair sample before dyeing, bleaching, perming, or highlighting.
If this isn’t possible, wait until you've washed your hair at least 10 times after these treatments.

🧴 Medicated shampoos warning:

Selsun Blue may spike selenium levels
Head & Shoulders may increase zinc artificially

Hair vs. Blood vs. Urine:

• Blood tests show immediate levels (what’s circulating now), which can vary based on recent meals or stress.
• Urine tests show what’s being excreted, not necessarily what’s retained.
• HTMA shows mineral storage over time, offering a deeper look into chronic imbalances and toxic accumulation.

HTMA is like watching a movie of your mineral status, while blood and urine tests are just snapshots.

Follow these steps:

• Use clean, untreated hair (no dye, bleach, or perm).
• Cut hair from the back of the head, close to the scalp.
• Use 1 to 1½ inches from the root end only.
• Collect about one tablespoon of hair.

✂️ Tip: Use multiple small sections to get an even sample. Click our link below to view a slide show on how to take a proper hair sample without creating bald spots.

If scalp hair isn't available, you may use:

• Pubic hair
• Clean fingernail clippings (preferable to toenails)
• Underarm hair (last resort)

⚠️ Note: These alternatives may reflect less recent mineral patterns due to slower growth rates. Beard or chest hair is not acceptable.

At Trace Elements, Inc., your hair undergoes:

• Sample Prep: Hair is cut, weighed precisely, and placed in sterile containers.
• Microwave/Acid Digestion: This process breaks down the protein matrix to release trapped minerals.
• ICP-MS Analysis: A high-tech mass spectrometer identifies and measures each element.
• Quality Review: Custom software and chemists review the data. Samples not meeting standards are re-tested.

Only after rigorous quality control is your HTMA report prepared.

Your personalized report features:

• All Profiles display bar graphs depicting levels of up to 36 essential minerals, trace minerals and toxic elements
• Also includes up to 14 additional trace elements
• Bar graph analysis of significant mineral ratios and toxic ratios (very important)
• 11 additional ratios
• A breakdown of your metabolic type
• Computer-generated lab report analyzing results with supplement recommendations (Profile 2 & Profile 3 HTMA reports only)
• Practitioner-friendly copy of the lab-generated report (Profile 2 & Profile 3 reports only)