What to Expect

Example of cutting about 20 strands of hair:

Example of cutting about 100 strands of hair:

When your hair sample is collected for a study, the staff member will have:

• Small pair of scissors
• Alcohol pad/wipe for cleaning the scissors
• Aluminum foil for protecting the hair sample from light
• A plastic bag for storing the hair
• Labels for adding an identification number to keep track of where the sample came from and to mark the side of the hair furthest from the scalp

We cut a small bit of hair from the back of the head, clipping close to the scalp. We are always careful not to damage hair styles!

For braided hair, we collect short strands from between the braids.  

We take about 50-100 hairs. That is about the same amount of hair that each of us loses every day in the normal course of life while sleeping, walking, showering, and brushing our hair.

Here's what 100 strands of hair looks like.

Each hair sample is labeled at the end furthest away from the head with the ends closest to the head sticking out so that scientists will have easy access when processing the hair sample.

Each hair sample is wrapped in foil and then sealed inside a ziplock plastic bag, often with a small package of dessicant to keep the hair sample dry.

We label each sample with:

• An identification number so we can keep track of who it came from, but we never include the person's name
• The time, date, and place where the sample was taken
• The initials of the research staff member who clipped the hair

We then deliver the sample to the laboratory. Scientists working on the study are the only people who will have access to the hair sample, and they will not know who the hair came from or have access to any other information about that person. We keep all hair samples locked in the laboratory at all times.

Take a virtual tour of the laboratory to learn how HAL scientists take a peek inside those strands left in our care.