THC Detox: How To Get Weed Out of Your System FAST

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I have a foolproof, 100% guaranteed method to get weed completely out of your system. Your test results are guaranteed to be negative.

It’s simply the best THC detox routine there is.

It’s called, ‘abstinence.’

Unfortunately this simple and highly effective detox method requires time.  A lot of it.

If you have enough time to naturally rid your body of THC toxins before your next drug test, then this list of methods for passing a drug test for THC might interest you – but it’s not critical to you passing.

On the other hand, if you are like most readers of this website and you don’t have the luxury of time… and you need to test clean, soon.

This article was written for you.

In it, I will go over the most proven ways you can rid THC from your system – or mask it well enough – to pass a hair or urine drug test.

Note: none of the methods below are perfect or guaranteed. They all have different degrees of success, depending on various factors (also discussed, below).

To be safe, take a home-based drug test before taking your actual test to prove you are clean.

Let’s start by discussing how long it takes to naturally rid yourself of THC and its metabolites.

Then, we’ll dive into the different methods.


How Long Does Weed Stay In Your System?

Urine Tests for THC

Urine levels of THC-COOH for one-time and infrequent users
Urine levels of THC-COOH (one use)

Most people will tell you it takes about 30 days of abstinence to pass a urine test for THC.

That’s the widely-accepted measure of how long marijuana can still be detected in your system using the common urinalysis test.

But the truth is that several studies have shown that many people need far less time to achieve a negative test result – 5-21 days is more realistic, depending on how you consume and how frequently you use (see chart above).

The wide range is because different labs use different sensitivities to determine a negative or positive result.

The most commonly-used sensitivity level used by test labs is 50 ng/mL of THC metabolites in your blood stream.

If you are right on this bubble, then ten days is likely enough to test clean on a urine test, for most people.

But if you go to a lab where they can detect as little as 20 ng/mL of THC metabolites, you’ll need more time.

Hair Drug Tests for THC

Decay in blood levels of THC and metabolites over time
Decay in blood levels of THC and metabolites over time (one use)

Hair tests are not as common as urinalysis tests, mostly because they are expensive.

But that is quickly changing as techniques for beating urine tests get more effective, and employers opt for the harder-to-beat hair follicle drug test.

If an employer requests a hair follicle THC test, then you are in a bit more trouble. This is because, once deposited, traces of THC remain in your hair pretty much indefinitely.  Unless you strip them out.

Using a small sample of your hair, a hair drug test can detect regular THC use as far back as 12 months.

The only guaranteed way to beat a hair test for THC is to cut your hair after enough clean hair grows through your scalp. This requires you to abstain for more than 100 days.

While hair follicle tests are not as common as urinalysis tests, some big companies are increasingly asking for them – especially for mission critical positions.

Today, even smaller companies are starting to move away from urine tests due to the increase in cheating techniques.

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Factors That Determine How Fast You Can Detox

The figures discussed so far apply to most people, but not everyone.

Some people who use every day can somehow test clean, within a week.

Others smoke only occasionally, but it takes a month or more for them to test negative.

What’s going on?

The wide range of outcomes is due to the many factors that determine how quickly THC metabolites get out of your system, and each test type is different regarding these.

Even if you are just trying to mask THC (not rid it from your body) using the methods below your success will depend on several factors.

  • How frequently you consume – Are you a common weed smoker or do you only take a hit now and then? Tests look for traces of the metabolite THC-COOH in your system. The more you smoke, the more THC-COOH accumulates in your body meaning that it will take more time and effort to clean it out. That’s why occasional smokers can naturally get clean within a week while heavy users can take up to three weeks or more. Additionally, frequent users may find it harder to mask THC-COOH in their urine.
  • Type and quality of weed – certain kinds of weed release extra THC and THC-COOH into your system. So even if you are an occasional user, you may still take long before you test clean.
  • Body fat – When you consume weed, THC-COOH eventually ends up in storage where it lurks before it is gradually released from the body. This storage is fat cells. So it’s only logical that the more body fat you have, the more fat cells are available to store THC-COOH.
  • Metabolism – between two people of the same age, gender, and physique, there may still be a disparity in how quickly they get clean and how well each can mask the presence of THC-COOH using a quick detox method. This is even assuming they have a roughly similar level of marijuana usage. This is because everyone has a unique metabolism hence one person’s system will process weed differently and at a different speed from another person. People with a higher metabolism (which means fat cells are burned quicker) tend to have more success in detoxing or masking THC-COOH.
  • Overall lifestyle – marijuana users with a healthier overall lifestyle get clean faster and can more easily mask THC-COOH in the case of emergency testing. A healthy lifestyle involves a good diet (plenty of vitamins and fiber), good water intake and staying active.

Research on how these factors impact THC retention and masking is still a work in progress.

If you are caught behind the clock like so many people are these days, then the best thing you can do is to try some of the following methods that have been found to have some success – and, of course, test yourself using a home drug test before going for the actual test.

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What’s the Quickest Way to Get Weed Out of Your System?

There is a lot of controversy when it comes to “quick detox methods” for THC.

Methods To Avoid

scared of drug test

Too many forums and blog posts out there give advice that is, at best, useless.

Sorry, but drinking cranberry juice or loading up on water will not rid traces of weed from your system.

Using vinegar or niacin is pretty useless advice, too.

Do not under any circumstances ingest bleach to get clean. You could seriously harm yourself.

Instead, I recommend using the following methods, not because I can assure you they will work, but because I have done a crapload of research ove the past few years – and these methods tend to have the highest success rates, as reported by real users who took a drug test.

They are also (apparently) safe, as long as you follow instructions.

That said: I am not a doctor or a medical expert, so do your own due diligence!

These methods use a combination of detoxing and masking to pass a drug test.

I describe solutions for people with a whole month to plan, only a week to spare and solutions for those who need to test clean in 24 hours.

If you can, I strongly recommend taking a home-based drug test beforehand to ascertain that you are clean.

It doesn’t need mentioning, but you should definitely abstain from using weed during your detox period.

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Best 30-Day THC detox plan

Beating a THC Drug Test Calendar

If you have a month before your test and you are sure you are getting a urine test, then you can just wait for the THC to clear out on its own.

But to be sure you are clean, there are a few more things you should consider doing, as follows:

30-Day THC Detox Plan
  • Exercise regularly – working out burns the fat cells that are holding THC and THC-COOH. Regular exercise can help quicken the detox and is especially important if you are a chronic user or have a much of body fat. It will ensure you are completely clean by the time of the test.
  • Eat healthy – combine exercise with a healthy diet. Focus especially on high-fiber foods like fruits and vegetables. Fiber helps speed up the detoxing process. Fruits and veggies contain nutrients like vitamins and antioxidants that also speed up the detox process.
  • Use the right detox shampoo (hair test) – I recommend buying Nexus Aloe Rid (old formula) as part of the proven Macujo cleaning regiment (learn more about the Macujo method & Aloe Rid, here).
  • Stay well-hydrated (urine test) – drinking ridiculous amounts of water will not help you detox much faster. But staying well-hydrated within healthy norms will help your body detox faster and more efficiently than if you are dehydrated.
  • Use detox drinks (urine test) – these are not necessary if you have one month to detox, but they can help cover all your bases.

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How To Pass a Drug Test If You Only Have a Week

If you have only a few days to a week to get clean, then your detox plan will need more than just abstinence.

Some light users can still get clean naturally for a urine test, by just abstaining for a week. But it’s kind of a crapshoot to bet on this.

Hair tests are far tougher to beat in just a week. If you are a moderate to heavy regular user, you will definitely need detox products / cleaning methods to beat them.

I recommend combining natural marijuana detox methods like exercise and good eating with safe/effective THC detox products and cleaning regimens.

Most detox products work by masking the presence of THC metabolites from urine. Usually, they’ll drop the concentration of these metabolites – THC-COOH specifically – to below 50 ng/mL, the sensitivity threshold used in most urinalysis tests.

Here’s my best recommendation on what to do if you only have a week before your test:

7-Day THC Detox Plan
  • Use a proven detox product (urine and blood tests) – when you only have one week, it’s time to lean on a trusted detox product. Note that these products are not the same as same-day cleansers. They do not mask THC-COOH, but rather help the body get rid of it quicker.
  • Use the right detox shampoo (hair test) – if you are unfortunate enough to get a hair follicle test, use a detox shampoo.  Just make sure you get one with a track record of working. The most-recommended shampoo is the older formula of Aloe Rid shampoo from Nexus. For best results, use this in conjunction with the Macujo hair cleaning regimen (see instructions here).
  • Exercise (urine and blood tests) – even a week’s worth of exercise can make a difference in how quickly you detox. But stop exercising a day before the test. This will prevent a rush of THC metabolites in your fat cells from being released into your bloodstream, all at once.
  • Eat well – avoid junk foods and focus on high-fiber high-nutrient foods like fruits and veggies.

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How To Detox THC from Your Body In 24 Hours Or Less

Worried about Beating a THC Drug Test

Photo: Nik Shuliahin

If your employer just sprang a urine test on you with only a day to prepare, then you need to forget about detoxing and focus on masking the metabolites from your urine.

If it’s a blood or hair test, you are going to need to get more drastic.

Several urine test detox products promise same day ‘detoxing’ for emergency tests. What they do is dilute your urine to the point where very low amounts of THC metabolites can be detected.

Some products also flush any remaining THC metabolites in your urinary tract, giving you a short window during which you will likely test negative.

24-Hour THC Detox Plan

Here are some more tips for those getting a test in 24 hours or less.

  • Drink a lot of water and take Vitamin B and Creatinine supplements (urine test) – drinking water only works when you are getting a test within a few hours. It dilutes the urine thus reducing the concentration of THC metabolites. But since some companies also test for diluted urine, take 50 to 100mg of vitamin B-2 or B-12 to make your urine yellow and creatinine supplements to make your urine seem undiluted. If you use a same-day detox drink, you don’t have to do this since most detox products essentially do the same thing.
  • Do not exercise – exercising can increase the concentration of THC metabolites in your urine and blood as fat cells break down. So avoid it within 48 hours of your test.
  • Use a detox shampoo or proven cleaning regimen (hair test) – you will need a powerful method for cleansing/stripping your hair of THC metabolites if you are getting a hair follicle test, tomorrow. Read this guide to learn about the two most popular methods, the Macujo (shampoo) and Jerry G (bleaching) regimens. 
  • Give them a midstream sample (urine test) – for urine tests, wait until your urine is midstream before taking a sample. The first and last parts usually have the highest concentration of THC metabolites. Additionally, try to give a sample later in the day. Morning urine is more likely to have higher levels of THC-COOH.
  • Take fruit pectin – another quick ‘detox’ strategy is to use fruit pectin. This is a type of fiber used in making jellies and jams. Many fruits and vegetables also contain pectin. The idea behind this strategy is to promote bowel movements. These forces THC metabolites to be cleared through bowel movements rather than urine. This is a risky gamble and may not work well for chronic users. Use it in addition to other quick methods.
  • Get a home test kit – With a home urine test kit, you can quickly test for THC metabolites before going for the actual test. This will give you an idea of what to expect.

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Detox Alternative: Synthetic Urine

Quick Fix Plus Synthetic Urine for Beating a THC Urine Test

If all else fails and you are convinced you’ll test positive, there is yet another technique you can use.

Though perhaps unethical and in illegal, it has worked quite well for many weed users.

It involves synthetic urine. Because you are likely to be alone when taking a sample, you can easily switch samples and use synthetic urine instead of your own.

If anything, I’m impressed at how good synthetic urine these days is. It replicates every component that natural urine contains. Most even have an extra activator that you add just before the test to make it warm, just like natural urine.

Synthetic urine is a big gamble, however.

If you are caught, the consequences could be worse than if you had just tested positive. But it can work if there is little to no supervision when taking a sample. These days, employers have become stricter in their supervision and testing to catch anyone using anything but their urine.

I’d only suggest this option if you are a heavy user, you have good inside information about how the test samples are collected, and you need to get a test in a week or less.

Since detox and masking may not be enough for you, synthetic urine is something you may consider. But for most people, the detox path is better and safer.

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What to Expect When Detoxing from THC

There is still a lot of debate among scientific and enthusiast circles about whether marijuana is addictive.  Most experts agree that THC is mildly addictive, but nothing close to other hard drugs like meth, cocaine and opiods.

Whatever the case, it is undeniable that abrupt abstinence from heavy use of THC can cause well-recognized symptoms when you stop taking it.

As with almost everything else we have mentioned, different people have varying experiences when quitting weed, hash oil, edibles or other forms of THC.

Some people will feel a mild headache, while others may need medicine to manage their symptoms. These symptoms can be especially severe for heavy and chronic users.

Side Effects of Quitting THC

Whether you are attempting a quick detox or you’ve decided to take the natural path and wait, here are some of the ‘withdrawal’ side-effects you can expect – and your employer could pick up on, if you’re not careful.

  • Headaches
  • Loss of appetite
  • Insomnia
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Increased irritability
  • Inability to focus
  • Fatigue

Note that some of these are not withdrawal symptoms but rather the return of conditions that were being mitigated by weed.

For instance, if you were taking some Tahoe OG to help you sleep, insomnia will come back if you stop taking it. Ditto if you were using weed to help with anxiety, loss of focus, appetite or pain.

Another thing to note: some of these symptoms may not be related to withdrawing from your usual consumption. For example, many people preparing for drug tests experience anxiety. Not taking weed can make it even worse.

You may also experience fatigue, not because you no longer take marijuana, but because you are not sleeping well or you have too much anxiety.

The best advice I can give you is to take good physical care of yourself during the wind-down period.

Go for a run, eat more veggies and fruit, meditate and get solid sleep.

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