Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss?

Current research says no. The concern traces back to one 2009 study that found creatine raised DHT, a hormone linked to male pattern baldness, but that study never measured hair. A 2025 randomized trial that measured hair directly found no difference in DHT or hair health after 12 weeks of creatine compared with placebo.

So if you've heard that creatine makes you go bald, it's worth knowing how thin the original evidence was and what happened when researchers finally tested the question properly. Here's the full story, including the limits of what we know.

Where Did the Creatine Hair Loss Idea Come From?

From a single 2009 study of rugby players. Researchers found that after a week of creatine loading, levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) rose by 56% and stayed 40% above baseline during a lower maintenance dose. Since DHT is linked to male pattern hair loss, people connected the dots, but the study never looked at anyone's hair.

That 2009 study in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine followed 20 college-aged rugby players. They loaded with 25 g of creatine a day for 7 days, then took 5 g a day for 14 more days. Testosterone didn't change, but DHT rose, along with the ratio of DHT to testosterone.

The authors suggested creatine might speed up the conversion of testosterone to DHT and called for more research. They measured hormones in the blood, not hair loss, hair thickness, or follicle health. The link to baldness was a reasonable question, not a finding.

Why Doesn't That 2009 Study Prove Creatine Causes Baldness?

Because it measured a hormone change, not hair loss, and the change stayed within normal clinical limits. The result has also never been replicated. And the creatine group happened to start with lower DHT than the placebo group, which makes the size of the increase harder to interpret.

A 2021 review of common creatine questions in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition looked closely at the 2009 study. It noted that "the results of van der Merwe et al. have not been replicated," that the DHT increase "remained well within normal clinical limits," and that intense resistance exercise can raise these hormones on its own.

The review also pointed out that DHT was 23% lower in the creatine group than in the placebo group before the study started. It concluded that "the majority of available evidence does not support a link between creatine supplementation and hair loss / baldness."

What Did the 2025 Hair Loss Trial Find?

No effect on hair. In a 12-week randomized controlled trial, resistance-trained men took 5 g of creatine or a placebo daily. Researchers measured hormones and hair directly, including hair density, follicle counts, and hair thickness. There were no differences between the groups in DHT, the DHT-to-testosterone ratio, or any hair measure.

That 2025 trial, published in the same ISSN journal, is the first study to directly assess hair follicle health with creatine. It recruited 45 men aged 18 to 40, and 38 completed the study.

Study	What it measured	Result
2009 rugby study (20 men, 3 weeks, loading then 5 g/day)	Blood hormones only	DHT rose 56%, then stayed 40% above baseline
2025 trial (38 men, 12 weeks, 5 g/day)	Blood hormones and hair density, follicle count, hair thickness	No differences from placebo in DHT or any hair measure

The authors concluded their results provide "strong evidence against the claim that creatine contributes to hair loss." They also found no change in markers of kidney function over the 12 weeks.

What Are the Limits of the Research So Far?

The 2025 trial was 12 weeks long, used a normal 5 g daily dose, and included only men. A longer study or a higher dose could, in theory, show something different. Family history of hair loss also wasn't recorded. So the evidence is reassuring but not the final word.

The trial's authors were upfront about this. They noted the study "was only conducted in males," lasted 12 weeks, and didn't track family history of baldness, which strongly predicts hair loss on its own. They called for future studies in women and over longer periods.

Still, the balance of evidence has shifted, and it has shifted in one direction. The original concern rests on one unreplicated hormone result, while the only study that measured hair found nothing. That's why reviews now describe the creatine and hair loss link as unsupported.

Should You Avoid Creatine If You're Prone to Hair Loss?

Research doesn't suggest you need to, but it's a personal call. If you're worried, stick to a normal 3 to 5 g daily dose rather than a loading phase, since the 2009 hormone rise was measured after loading. If hair loss runs in your family or you're already treating it, ask a dermatologist.

Skipping the loading phase costs you little. A steady daily dose fills your muscle stores in about three to four weeks instead of one, as our guide on whether you need a creatine loading phase explains.

It also helps to watch for changes that happen regardless of supplements. Male pattern hair loss is common and often starts in the twenties and thirties, so new thinning that appears while you take creatine isn't automatically caused by it. Photos of your hairline taken a few months apart are a more reliable way to track real change than a glance in the mirror.

What Are the Real Side Effects of Creatine?

The only side effect consistently reported in research is weight gain, mostly from water drawn into muscle. Some people get stomach upset from large single doses. In healthy people, creatine at recommended doses hasn't been shown to harm the kidneys, cause dehydration, or add body fat.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand on creatine calls weight gain "the only consistently reported side effect," and reports that creatine has been studied safely at up to 30 g a day for five years in healthy individuals.

For the bigger picture of what creatine does and doesn't do, see our guide on what creatine does, and for the scale question, whether creatine makes you gain weight. The same trials also measured hormones, which is covered in does creatine increase testosterone.