Hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) is a valuable tool that measures the mineral content stored within your hair, providing a unique window into your body’s long-term nutritional and metabolic patterns. 
It shows what is happening at a cellular level. As hair is a storage tissue, it can reveal trends and imbalances that may not always be visible through other testing methods.
Unlike blood tests it is a non invasive test, a small sample of hair is taken at home from the scalp and the test is suitable for adults and children alike.
This assessment provides insight into:
- 15 essential minerals, including Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Iron, Selenium, and Copper
- 6 key toxic elements, including Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium, and Aluminium
- Important mineral ratios that offer insight into adrenal, thyroid, and metabolic health
- Mineral deficiencies and imbalances
- Heavy metal burden and toxicity patterns
- Adrenal health vitality & reserves
- Cellular thyroid health
- Mineral utilisation
- Stress response and nervous system function
- Immune system health and resilience
- What is happening at a cellular level
- Metabolic tendencies, including fast and slow oxidation patterns
- Detoxification capacity and levels of oxidative stress
HTMA reflects longer term mineral patterns over the previous 3–6 months providing a broad picture of your health. Any imbalances can show up well before they do in a blood or urine test which offer a short term snapshot.
You can action any findings long before they may show up in a blood test. This test is particularly useful for identifying chronic imbalances, uncovering underlying contributors to symptoms, and supporting a more personalised, holistic approach to wellbeing.
Ratios and patterns are important
With HTMA is it important to not just look at minerals in isolation, the ratios in which minerals interact together provide key insights into your health. For example:
Calcium to Phosphorus (Ca/P): Viewed as an indicator of metabolic pace and how the body is producing and utilising energy over time.
Sodium to Potassium (Na/K): Commonly seen as a reflection of the body’s stress response, resilience, and ability to adapt to physical and emotional demands.
Calcium to Potassium (Ca/K): Often associated with thyroid-related energy regulation and how efficiently cells are responding to metabolic signals.
Zinc to Copper (Zn/Cu): Provides information around immune function, emotional wellbeing, and the body’s response to internal and external stressors.
Sodium to Magnesium (Na/Mg): This ratio may provide insight into how the nervous system and adrenal-related stress patterns are responding to ongoing physical, emotional, or environmental demands.
Calcium to Magnesium (Ca/Mg): Commonly associated with nervous system balance, muscle tension, and the body’s ability to move between states of activation and relaxation.
The body is an intelligent system always aiming for homeostasis but sometimes minerals can become imbalanced or we have a build up of toxic elements leading to symptoms such as fatigue, poor sleep, fluid balance issues, dry skin, thinning hair, feeling on edge, low immunity and so on.
This is why its important to to know exactly what is happening at a cellular level so you can address the appropriate minerals and any toxicity and take away the guess work.
How to get started:
Getting started with Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) is simple and can be done entirely from the comfort of your home.
1. Receive Your Home Testing Kit
Your HTMA kit will be delivered directly to your door. It contains everything you need to collect a small hair sample quickly and easily. No needles, bloods, or clinic visits required.
2. Return Your Sample
Simply place your sample in the prepaid envelope and send it to the accredited laboratory.
3. Professional Laboratory Analysis
Your sample is analysed by a trusted, accredited laboratory using validated testing methods. The analysis measures essential minerals and toxic elements, helping to build a picture of your body’s long-term mineral patterns and physiological trends.
4. Complete questionnaire
My clients will receive a comprehensive questionnaire direct from me which asks many questions about lifestyle, health and wellbeing. I will use this information alongside your laboratory results to provide an in depth report with personalised recommendations.
5. Your Personalised Report
Once your sample has been processed, your detailed laboratory report will be returned to me by email, typically within 3-4 weeks of the laboratory receiving your sample.
Your basic laboratory report includes charts, mineral ratios, and a clear overview of your mineral balance and toxic element patterns, providing valuable insights to support your health and wellbeing.
I will then further analyse your results and provide an in depth, easy to implement report with mineral, supplement & lifestyle recommendations which may also include tissue salts and foods to increase or limit based on your unique results. You will receive your personalised reports and recommendations around 1-2 weeks after the laboratory returns your results to me.
You have two options for HTMA:
Foundation package:
(Suitable for new or existing clients)
~Laboratory testing & analysis from Mineral Check
~Comprehensive health questionnaire
~Mineral check results report
~My time analysing the Mineral Check report
~Detailed, personalised holistic report with mineral, supplement, lifestyle & nervous system recommendations
~Email support for any questions you may have
£175 (price increasing to £200 after 20/8/26)
I can pass on a 15% discount for use on supplements and minerals at The Natural Dispensary.
Advanced package:
(Suitable for adults wanting to work more in depth)
~1x 75 minute Homeopathy consultation
~Individualised constitutional Homeopathic remedy prescription
~Laboratory testing & analysis from Mineral Check
~Comprehensive health questionnaire
~Mineral check results report
~My time analysing the Mineral Check report
~Detailed, personalised holistic report with mineral, supplement, lifestyle & nervous system recommendations
~1x 30 minute follow up consultation
~Organ support, detoxification or rebalancing homeopathic remedies as appropriate to your needs
~1x bottle of Homeobotanical herbs (worth £28) to support your health for example an adrenal support blend
~Email support for any questions you may have
I can pass on a 15% discount for use on supplements and minerals at The Natural Dispensary.
£325 (price increasing to £375 after 20/8/26)
*If you would like an advanced packaged for a teen/child please contact me for fees
Please email me helen@helenjefferies.co.uk if you have any questions or would like to book one of these packages.
HTMA offers a functional view of mineral patterns, toxic element exposure, and physiological trends within the body over time.
HTMA is particularly useful for identifying patterns and imbalances that may be influencing overall health and wellbeing, including nutritional deficiencies, stress adaptation, energy production, detoxification capacity, and metabolic tendencies.
By examining how minerals interact with one another, it can provide valuable insight into the body’s priorities, compensatory responses, and areas that may benefit from targeted nutritional and lifestyle support.
When interpreted alongside a person’s health history, symptoms and lifestyle factors, HTMA is a valuable tool for guiding a personalised and holistic wellness approach.
You can view an example laboratory report which comes from Mineral Check by clicking here. Please note you will receive a more comprehensive report from me.
Hair colouring, bleaching and medicated shampoos – sample collection guidelines.
The advice I have received direct from Mineral Check is that it is fine to test bleached or dyed hair as long as professional hair dyes have been used.
If you use medicated or anti dandruff shampoo please discontinue use for two weeks before taking a hair sample.
Do not combine hair from different areas of the body, use only one sample area e.g. solely hair from scalp.
Please email me helen@helenjefferies.co.uk if you have any questions or would like to book one of these packages.
Helen