Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss? What the Evidence Says

By Alex Lawrence, qualified nutritionist · Fact-checked against sources on 30 October 2026 · Updated 30 October 2026

There’s no good evidence that creatine causes hair loss. The idea comes from one small 2009 study that found a rise in the hormone DHT but never looked at anyone’s hair. The first trial to measure hair directly, in 2025, found no difference between creatine and a placebo over 12 weeks.

That said, “no good evidence” isn’t the same as “impossible”, and the research has real limits. Here’s what each study found, so you can decide for yourself. For the bigger picture on creatine, see what does creatine do?

Where does the creatine hair loss idea come from?

The idea comes from a single 2009 study of rugby players. van der Merwe and colleagues gave 20 college-aged male rugby players in South Africa either creatine or a placebo for 3 weeks, then swapped them over after a 6-week break.

What they found:

Testosterone didn’t change.
DHT (dihydrotestosterone) rose by 56% after a 7-day loading phase of 25 g a day, and was still 40% above baseline after 14 days on 5 g a day.
The ratio of DHT to testosterone rose by 36% after loading and stayed 22% higher after the maintenance phase.

The authors suggested creatine might speed up the conversion of testosterone to DHT, and called for more research.

Why does DHT matter for hair?

DHT matters because it’s linked to pattern hair loss in people who are genetically prone to it. As the 2021 ISSN review puts it, DHT can bind to receptors in susceptible hair follicles and cause them to shrink.

That’s how a study about a blood hormone became a story about baldness. But the step from “DHT went up in the blood” to “creatine makes your hair fall out” was never tested in that study.

What are the limits of the 2009 study?

The 2009 study is small, short, and didn’t measure hair at all. Points worth knowing:

No hair outcomes. It measured hormones in blood, not hair loss, hair density or follicles.
Small and short. 20 men, 3 weeks per condition.
One population. Young male rugby players during their competitive season.
Within normal limits. The 2021 ISSN review notes that DHT levels stayed well within normal clinical limits, and that the creatine group started with 23% lower DHT than the placebo group.
Not replicated. The same review says the result hasn’t been repeated.

None of that means the finding was wrong. It means one unreplicated hormone result is weak grounds for a claim about hair.

What do newer studies show?

Newer research hasn’t found creatine affecting hair or the hormones behind the worry. Two pieces of evidence matter most.

The 2025 hair trial

The 2025 randomised controlled trial by Lak and colleagues is the first to measure hair directly. It randomly assigned 45 resistance-trained men aged 18–40 to 5 g a day of creatine monohydrate or a placebo for 12 weeks. 38 finished.

It measured total testosterone, free testosterone and DHT in the blood.
It measured hair density, follicular unit count and hair thickness using a trichogram and a FotoFinder imaging system.
There were no differences between creatine and placebo in DHT, the DHT-to-testosterone ratio or any hair measure.

The wider hormone research

The 2021 ISSN review counted 12 other studies that looked at creatine and testosterone. Ten found no change and two found small, non-significant rises. It concluded that the evidence doesn’t show creatine raising testosterone, free testosterone or DHT, or causing hair loss.

Study	Who	What it measured	Result
van der Merwe 2009	20 male rugby players, 3 weeks	Blood hormones only	DHT up 56% after loading
Lak 2025	45 trained men, 12 weeks	Blood hormones and hair	No difference vs placebo
Antonio 2021 (review)	12 other hormone studies	Testosterone	No meaningful rise

What are the limits of the newer evidence?

The newer evidence is reassuring but not the final word. Be aware that:

The 2025 trial lasted 12 weeks. People often take creatine for years, and pattern hair loss develops slowly.
It only included men, and fairly young ones.
Several authors have links to the supplement industry, declared in both the 2025 trial and the 2021 review. That doesn’t make the results wrong, but it’s worth knowing.
A non-finding isn’t proof of zero risk. A small effect in a minority of people prone to hair loss can’t be fully ruled out by one trial of 38 finishers.

Our honest read: the weight of current evidence says creatine doesn’t cause hair loss, and the one study behind the fear never tested it.

What actually causes hair loss?

Male- and female-pattern baldness usually runs in the family and is permanent, according to the NHS. The NHS lists other causes of temporary hair loss, including illness, stress, cancer treatment, weight loss and iron deficiency.

That’s useful context. If your hair starts thinning while you happen to be taking creatine, the timing alone doesn’t show that creatine caused it.

If you’re worried about your hair, see a GP. They can look for causes that can be treated.

Should you take creatine if you’re worried about your hair?

That’s your call, and both choices are reasonable. Based on current evidence, creatine is very unlikely to affect your hair. If baldness runs in your family and you’d rather not take any chance, you can skip it: creatine gives a modest boost to strength, not a must-have one.

If you do take it:

Stick to the standard dose of 3–5 g of creatine monohydrate a day. Work out yours with the creatine calculator.
Skip loading if you prefer. The DHT rise in 2009 was largest after a 25 g-a-day loading week, and loading is optional anyway.
Keep an eye on things and stop if you’re unhappy. Taking monthly photos of your hairline in the same light is a simple, objective check.

Speak to a GP or pharmacist before taking creatine if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, have kidney disease or take medication. This page is general information, not medical advice (see our terms).

Get Gains tracks your supplements with daily reminders, so you know exactly when you started creatine and how consistently you took it, which helps if you ever want to judge whether it’s affecting you.

Does creatine make you gain weight? A little, mostly water. See does creatine make you gain weight?
Is creatine HCl better for hair? HCl hasn’t been studied for hair at all, and it isn’t shown to work better than monohydrate overall. See creatine HCl vs monohydrate.
Does creatine affect women’s hair? It hasn’t been studied. Both the 2009 study and the 2025 trial only included men, so there’s no direct evidence either way for women.
Is creatine a steroid? No. It’s a compound your body makes from amino acids, also found in red meat and seafood (ISSN).

How we wrote this: drafted with AI assistance, then fact-checked against the sources below and edited by Alex Lawrence. Read our editorial policy.

Sources

creatine calculator