A non-invasive screening that suggests foods you might choose to explore through an elimination diet. Honest facts about our process, our limits, and why it is never a substitute for your GP.
Why Hair? The Non-Invasive Approach
Hair testing is a wellness screening method, not a medical test. It works with a small sample — 9 or 10 strands of hair, snipped painlessly from the crown or the nape of your neck. It is completely non-invasive: no needles, no pain, no blood, and no fasting.
There’s no kit to wait for. After you order, we email simple instructions — you snip 9 or 10 strands of hair at home and post them to our UK lab in an ordinary envelope. Standard UK postage is all it takes — no courier and no special packaging.
People often choose this approach because it is easy and comfortable, especially if they are uneasy about needles or simply want a low-effort way to start thinking about which foods to look at. We want to be straight with you from the very first line, though. Hair is mostly non-living keratin, and this style of screening is not a recognised way to diagnose food allergies or intolerances. There is no robust scientific evidence that screening hair can identify which foods upset you, and the same sample can sometimes produce different results on different occasions. So please read what follows as a structured prompt for your own exploration, not as a verdict about your body.
The Lab Process: What Happens to Your Sample
Once your hair sample reaches our UK laboratory, it is logged and prepared for screening. The lab uses its own proprietary method to screen your sample across 700+ items (350 foods & drinks + 350 non-food items) — covering everyday foods such as wheat, dairy and eggs, less obvious ones such as particular spices, preservatives and colourings, and a full range of non-food items too. Each sample is handled with care in a controlled environment, and the screening itself is quick: your sample is processed and your report emailed within 3 working days of arriving at our UK lab.
We are open about what this method can and cannot do. It is designed only to suggest foods you might want to look at more closely through an elimination diet. It does not, and cannot, give you a medical diagnosis, and it does not measure antibodies or any other biological marker the way a doctor’s test would.
Your results arrive as a clear, colour-coded report grouping items into ones to consider removing first, ones to keep an eye on, and ones the screening flagged as less likely to be of interest. Think of those colours as suggestions for where to start, not as a ranking of how harmful anything is to you.
Understanding Your Results: A Prompt, Not an Answer
Your hair test results are a starting point for exploration, not a definitive answer about your health. The report lists items by colour to help you plan an elimination diet: you remove a short list of suspected foods for six weeks, then reintroduce them one at a time while you pay attention to how you feel. This is where the useful part really happens, and it is entirely down to you: only you can notice whether your energy, digestion, sleep or general comfort seem different when a food is absent and then added back.
It is worth being clear about what this screening is not. It is not an allergy test — it does not measure IgE antibodies the way a skin-prick or blood allergy test does. It is not a coeliac test or a lactose-intolerance test, and it is not a substitute for blood serology, biopsy or genetic testing arranged by your doctor.
Because the method has no proven accuracy, the report on its own proves nothing about your body. What carries the real weight is your own response during the removal and reintroduction stages — that lived observation is the part you can actually trust, so let it lead.
How to Use Your Report: The Elimination Diet Approach
Start by reading your results calmly and without alarm. Print or save the report and pick out the foods marked as the ones to consider exploring first. Remove just those foods for six weeks — this is the core elimination phase, and it is also exactly what our 90-day money-back guarantee asks you to follow, so it pays to run it properly. Keep a simple daily diary from day one, noting what you ate and how you felt: energy, digestion, mood, sleep, comfort. A diary matters because memory is unreliable and patterns are easy to miss day to day.
After the six weeks, reintroduce each food on its own over about three to five days, and watch for any change while keeping everything else the same. Bringing foods back one at a time is what lets you link a reaction to a specific food rather than guessing. There is no rush, and slower is usually better — if you reintroduce two foods at once you lose the ability to tell which one mattered. Some people find they are comfortable with a food in moderation but not every day, and that is a useful thing to learn about yourself.
Above all, the report is only a guide for where to point your attention; your own honest observations are what you should act on. If removing foods is making your diet narrow or stressful, ease off and consider getting advice from a GP or a registered dietitian.
Our 90-Day Money-Back Guarantee
We stand behind the service with a 90-day money-back guarantee — and we would rather tell you the conditions plainly than hide them in small print. Here they are: Follow your personalised elimination plan for at least 6 weeks and keep a simple food diary. If your symptoms haven’t improved, email us within 90 working days and we’ll refund you in full.
The conditions exist for an honest reason. The elimination process is where any improvement comes from — the report only tells you where to start — so the guarantee asks you to actually run the six-week core plan, with a simple food diary kept from day one. If you do that and you are no better off, you get your money back.
People work through an elimination diet at different speeds: some notice changes in how they feel within a couple of weeks, while for others nothing clear emerges, which is completely normal and does not mean you have done anything wrong. The guarantee is peace of mind, not a claim that the test will fix anything.
When to See Your GP: Important Boundaries
This hair screening sits alongside professional medical care — never instead of it. If you have severe or persistent symptoms, unexplained weight change, blood in your stool, severe or ongoing pain, difficulty swallowing, or any symptom that worries you, please see your GP or another healthcare professional rather than relying on a screening like this.
The same goes if you already have an existing medical condition, or if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication: talk to your GP, midwife or pharmacist before making any significant change to your diet, because cutting foods out can occasionally do more harm than good.
Hair testing is not a replacement for allergy testing (skin-prick or IgE blood tests), for coeliac screening (blood serology or biopsy), or for any assessment your doctor would make. If you suspect a true food allergy — especially anything involving swelling, breathing difficulty or a sudden severe reaction — treat that as a medical matter and seek proper testing through your GP or an allergy clinic.
Used with those boundaries in mind, this is simply a tool to help you explore which everyday foods might not suit you personally. And if that honest deal makes sense to you — a £49 starting shortlist, a six-week plan you run yourself, and a 90-day money-back guarantee if it doesn’t help — we would be glad to get you started.
At a glance
Cost
Timeline
Strengths
Honest Limits
Hair Screening (IntoleranceLab Gold)
£49,Report within 3 working days of your sample reaching the UK lab,Non-invasive — no needles, no blood draw. The most affordable route here, and the only one backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee. Hands you a shortlist to narrow a long list of suspect foods.,No peer-reviewed evidence; proprietary method, not a validated medical test. A starting point only — what a food actually does to you is settled by elimination, not the screen.
Blood IgG Tests
£130–£240 typically,Results in 1–2 weeks,Quick. Measures a real antibody. No exclusion phase needed before testing.,IgG reflects exposure, not intolerance. Results can differ on repeat testing. Not offered by the NHS.
Elimination Diet + Food Diary
Free (ingredients only),Roughly 8–10 weeks: a six-week core elimination, then reintroduction one food at a time,Strongest supporting evidence; favoured by NHS dietitians. Personal to your own body. Any change you notice comes from this process.,Needs discipline and accurate records. Slow. Food restriction can be hard going at the start.
Being straight with you
A non-invasive, non-medical screening of your hair sample across 700+ items (350 foods & drinks + 350 non-food items)
A prompt to help you decide which foods to explore first through an elimination diet
A way to structure your own self-experimentation and observation
Painless and quick to collect, with a report generated within 3 working days of the sample reaching our lab
Backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee — conditions disclosed plainly: a 6-week elimination plan and a simple food diary
A starting point for self-led dietary exploration, where your own observations do the real work
A medical diagnosis or clinical test — it does not diagnose any condition
An allergy test — it does not measure IgE antibodies or confirm an allergy
A coeliac or lactose-intolerance test, and no substitute for blood serology, biopsy or genetic testing
A replacement for seeing your GP about severe, persistent or worrying symptoms
A validated method — this style of screening has no robust evidence base and can give different results from the same hair, so any change you notice comes from the elimination and reintroduction process, not from the test
A definitive answer — your own body’s response during elimination and reintroduction is what to rely on
Common questions
How much hair do I need to send?
Only a small sample — 9 or 10 strands of hair, snipped from the crown or the nape of your neck. There’s no kit: after you order, we email clear instructions, and you post the strands to our UK lab yourself in an ordinary envelope (standard UK postage). No special preparation is needed.
How long does it take to get my results?
Your report is emailed within 3 working days of your sample arriving at our UK laboratory. The only variable is the post — that part is down to Royal Mail, so we only promise the part we control: 3 days in the lab.
Is this test an allergy test?
No. This is a non-medical hair screening to help you decide which foods to explore. It is not an allergy test. Allergy tests (skin-prick or IgE blood tests) are different and should be arranged through your GP or an allergy clinic, especially if you have ever had a severe reaction.
What if I’m pregnant or breastfeeding?
The test isn’t suitable during pregnancy — please talk to your GP or midwife first. Cutting foods out during pregnancy or breastfeeding should always be guided by a healthcare professional to protect both you and your baby.
Can I use this instead of seeing my doctor?
No. This screening is not a replacement for medical care. If you have severe or persistent symptoms, unexplained weight loss, or any ongoing health concern, please see your GP. This is a prompt for self-exploration, not a diagnosis.
How do I use my report?
Use it to plan an elimination diet: remove the flagged foods for six weeks, keeping a daily food and symptom diary from day one, then reintroduce foods one at a time — leaving three to five days between each — and watch how you feel. Your own observations are what to act on, not the report alone. Following the six-week plan with a diary also keeps you covered by the 90-day money-back guarantee.
When to speak to your GP. This hair screening is a non-medical, educational wellness service. It is not a diagnosis, not an allergy test, and not a replacement for professional healthcare, and it is not a validated way to detect food allergies or intolerances. If you have persistent symptoms, severe pain, unexplained changes, a possible allergy, or an existing medical condition, please consult your GP. Discuss any significant dietary change with your healthcare provider first, especially if you are breastfeeding or taking medication — and note the test is not suitable during pregnancy.
