Does creatine cause hair loss?

There is no good evidence that creatine causes hair loss. The worry comes from a single 2009 study of 20 rugby players in which creatine raised blood levels of DHT, a hormone linked to pattern baldness, but nobody’s hair was measured, and the one trial that did measure hair, published in 2025, found no difference between creatine and placebo after 12 weeks.

That doesn’t settle every question. The hair trial was short and enrolled only men. Here is what each study did, what it measured and what it found, and what to do if you are losing hair.

The studies at a glance

Scroll sideways to see the full table

Where the creatine and hair loss idea comes from

In the 2009 study, college rugby players in South Africa took creatine or a glucose placebo during their competitive season, then switched after a 6-week washout. On creatine they loaded with 25 g a day for 7 days, then took 5 g a day for 14 days.

Testosterone did not change. DHT, the more potent hormone the body makes from testosterone, rose 56% after the loading week and was still 40% above baseline after the maintenance phase. The ratio of DHT to testosterone rose 36% and then sat 22% above baseline. The authors suggested creatine might speed the conversion of testosterone to DHT and called for more research.

That finding spread because DHT matters for hair. The finasteride label explains that in men with pattern hair loss, the balding scalp has shrunken (miniaturized) follicles and more DHT than scalp with hair, and finasteride works by blocking the enzyme that makes DHT. So a supplement that raises DHT sounded like a problem. But the study measured blood hormones for 3 weeks. It never counted, photographed or examined anyone’s hair.

What the DHT numbers mean

The size of the change looks smaller in absolute terms. Re-reporting the 2009 figures, the 2025 trial authors note that DHT in the creatine phase went from 0.98 to 1.53 nmol/L after loading and 1.38 nmol/L after maintenance, while in the placebo phase it drifted down from 1.26 to 1.06 nmol/L. Every value, in both phases, sat inside the normal adult male range of 0.8 to 3.5 nmol/L that the authors cite. The creatine phase also started lower than the placebo phase, which makes the percentage rise look larger.

For scale, finasteride 1 mg cuts blood DHT by about 65% within 24 hours, according to its label, and lowering DHT is how it appears to slow pattern hair loss over months of daily use. Whether a short rise within the normal range does the opposite to hair has never been tested.

The trial that measured hair

The 2025 randomized trial was designed to answer the question directly. Forty-five resistance-trained men aged 18 to 40 took 5 g of creatine monohydrate or 5 g of maltodextrin a day for 12 weeks, keeping their usual diet and training. Thirty-eight finished.

Researchers measured blood testosterone, free testosterone and DHT, and assessed the scalp with a trichogram and the FotoFinder imaging system: hair count, hair density, the share of hairs in the growing and resting phases, follicular units, the share of thick versus fine hairs, and total hair thickness. There were no differences between the creatine and placebo groups on any hormone or hair measure. Total testosterone rose and free testosterone fell over the 12 weeks in both groups alike.

The authors list the trial’s limits themselves:

• Short. 12 weeks is brief for hair, and a longer or higher-dose study could differ.
• Men only. Women were not studied.
• Blood only. Hormones were measured in blood, not in the scalp.
• Family history not recorded. Men whose fathers lost hair are more likely to lose theirs, and the trial did not track this.

Several authors also disclosed ties to creatine and supplement companies, including advisory roles and donated creatine for research. That doesn’t change the measurements, but it is worth knowing, and it is one more reason the result would benefit from an unrelated team repeating it.

What other studies found on testosterone

A 2021 review by sports nutrition researchers, many with industry ties they disclosed, looked at 12 other studies that measured testosterone during creatine use, at 3 to 25 g a day for 6 days to 12 weeks. Ten found no change. Two found small increases in total testosterone after 6 and 7 days. Five measured free testosterone, which the body converts to DHT, and none found a rise. The review notes the 2009 DHT result has not been replicated and that hard resistance training can itself raise these hormones.

Creatine is a supplement, not a drug

Creatine is sold as a dietary supplement. The FDA says it does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, so no one checks a creatine product’s safety or effectiveness the way a drug is reviewed. What is on the label, and in the tub, is the maker’s responsibility. That is separate from the hair question, but it is why claims about creatine, for or against, deserve a source.

What to do if you are losing hair

Hair loss while taking creatine is not proof that creatine caused it. Pattern hair loss usually first shows in the teenage years and progresses from there, according to the European guideline on its treatment, so it can coincide with any new supplement or training routine.

• See a clinician. Sudden, patchy or rapid shedding has other causes worth ruling out, and a clinician can confirm whether it is pattern hair loss.
• Know the approved treatments. For pattern hair loss, topical minoxidil is sold without a prescription, and finasteride 1 mg is approved for men. The finasteride label says daily use for 3 months or more is usually needed before a benefit shows, and the effect reverses within 12 months of stopping. Our finasteride vs minoxidil guide compares them, and finasteride side effects covers the label warnings.
• Decide about creatine on its own merits. If you want to stop it while you work out what is happening, that is your call with your clinician, but stopping it is not a hair loss treatment.

To compare online prescribers, see how to get finasteride online, the online hair loss providers list and our hair loss hub.

The bottom line

The claim that creatine causes hair loss rests on one 2009 study that found a DHT rise, within the normal range, in 20 rugby players and never looked at their hair. The only trial that measured hair found no difference from placebo after 12 weeks at 5 g a day. Longer studies, studies in women and studies in people already losing hair have not been done. If your hair is thinning, the cause and the fix are worth a conversation with a clinician, whatever is in your shaker.