Does Creatine Actually Cause Hair Loss? (2026 Research)
Does Creatine Actually Cause Hair Loss?
By Jaden Choi — a plain-English look at where the creatine-and-baldness rumor came from, and what the newest study actually measured.
Creatine is one of the most-studied supplements on the planet, and one of the safest. Yet a single worry keeps popping up on gym forums and Reddit: will it make my hair fall out?
The short version: no study has ever shown that creatine causes hair loss. The entire scare traces back to one small 2009 study that measured a hormone ratio — not hair. And in 2025, researchers finally did the obvious experiment: they gave people creatine for three months and actually looked at their hair follicles. Here's what they found, and the honest caveats that remain.
- The hair-loss fear comes from one 2009 study of 20 rugby players that measured a rise in the DHT-to-testosterone ratio — it never measured hair.
- A 2025 randomized controlled trial — the first to directly assess hair follicles — found no significant change in DHT or hair density after 12 weeks of creatine.
- A 2021 review of the wider evidence found no consistent effect of creatine on testosterone or DHT. This isn't medical advice — if you're already prone to hereditary hair loss, talk to a dermatologist.
The Short Answer
There is currently no direct evidence that creatine monohydrate causes hair loss or baldness. The claim survives on a chain of assumptions — creatine might raise DHT, DHT is linked to male-pattern baldness, therefore creatine must cause hair loss — and each link in that chain is weaker than it sounds.
The one study people cite didn't look at hair at all. The study that finally did look at hair found nothing. That's the whole story in two sentences, but the details are worth understanding, because they show exactly how a health myth gets built.
Where the Scare Actually Came From
In 2009, researchers at Stellenbosch University in South Africa published a study in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine on 20 college-aged male rugby players (van der Merwe and colleagues). The players took a heavy creatine "loading" dose (about 25 g/day for a week, then 5 g/day for two weeks) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design.
The result that launched a thousand forum threads: after the loading week, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) rose by 56%, and the DHT-to-testosterone ratio climbed about 36% (settling around 22% higher during maintenance). Total testosterone itself didn't change.
Here's the critical part almost every headline skipped: the study measured hormones in the blood, not hair on anyone's head. Nobody's hairline was tracked, photographed, or counted. It was also a single, small study in one narrow population (young athletes mid-season) that, as of today, has never been fully replicated at that magnitude. Turning "a hormone ratio moved in 20 rugby players" into "creatine makes you go bald" is a leap the data never supported.
What DHT Has to Do With Hair in the First Place
The fear isn't completely random. DHT is an androgen your body makes from testosterone, and it's the hormone most closely tied to androgenetic alopecia — the hereditary, pattern hair loss that thins many men's (and some women's) hair with age. In genetically susceptible people, hair follicles are sensitive to DHT, which gradually shrinks them.
So the logic goes: if creatine nudges DHT up, and DHT drives pattern balding, creatine could accelerate it in someone already predisposed. It's a reasonable hypothesis — but a hypothesis is not a finding. What matters is whether the effect actually shows up when you measure hair. Until recently, nobody had checked.
The First Study to Actually Look at Hair (2025)
In 2025, a team led by Lak and colleagues published a trial in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition with a blunt title: "Does creatine cause hair loss? A 12-week randomized controlled trial." It's the first study designed specifically to answer this question by measuring hair directly.
The design: 45 resistance-trained men aged 18–40 were randomly assigned to 5 g/day of creatine monohydrate or a matching placebo for 12 weeks, and 38 completed the study. Crucially, the researchers didn't just draw blood — they assessed hair follicle health with a Trichogram test and the FotoFinder imaging system, tracking hair density, follicle counts, and hair thickness.
The findings: no significant differences between the creatine and placebo groups in DHT, in the DHT-to-testosterone ratio, or in any of the hair-growth measures. In other words, when scientists finally looked at the thing everyone was worried about — the hair itself — creatine didn't move it.
Notice the difference in dose, too. The 2009 study used a high loading protocol; the 2025 trial used the standard 5 g/day maintenance dose most people actually take — and still saw no hormonal or hair changes.
What each study actually measured
| Study (year) | What it measured | What it found |
|---|---|---|
| van der Merwe et al. (2009) 20 rugby players, loading dose |
Blood hormones only (DHT, testosterone) | DHT rose ~56%; DHT:T ratio up ~36%. No hair measured. |
| Antonio et al. review (2021) summary of ~12 studies |
Testosterone & DHT across many trials | No consistent effect on testosterone or DHT. |
| Lak et al. RCT (2025) 38 completers, 5 g/day, 12 wks |
Hormones and hair (Trichogram + FotoFinder) | No significant change in DHT or hair density. |
What the Broader Evidence Says
The 2025 trial doesn't stand alone. A 2021 review in the same journal (Antonio and colleagues), which examined the wider body of creatine and hormone research, concluded there was no convincing evidence that creatine meaningfully raises testosterone or DHT — and no evidence linking it to hair loss or baldness.
That's the honest weight of the evidence: one outlier hormone finding from 2009, surrounded by a larger set of studies that didn't reproduce it, now capped by a direct hair trial that came up empty. When a scary result fails to replicate and the direct test comes back negative, the responsible read is "probably not a real effect" — not "the jury's still out forever."
The Honest Caveats
Good science means naming what a study can't tell you. The 2025 trial has real limitations worth keeping in mind:
- It was 12 weeks. Pattern hair loss unfolds over years, so a three-month window can't rule out a slow effect.
- It studied men aged 18–40. It doesn't directly speak to older adults or to women.
- It excluded men with diagnosed hair-loss disorders. The people most anxious about this — those already experiencing androgenetic alopecia — weren't the ones tested.
- It measured DHT in blood, not at the scalp, which is where pattern balding actually plays out.
None of that turns the evidence toward "creatine causes hair loss." It just means the cleanest conclusion is: for healthy younger adults without a hair-loss condition, a standard creatine dose shows no measurable effect on hair. If you're genetically prone to thinning, the studies simply haven't zoomed in on your exact situation yet.
Bottom Line — What to Do With This
If you were holding off on creatine purely because of the baldness rumor, the science doesn't support that fear. The evidence we have — including the first trial built to test it — points to no effect on hair.
Family history and age drive pattern hair loss far more than any supplement. If you're already noticing thinning or have a strong family history, the useful move isn't to avoid creatine — it's to see a board-certified dermatologist who can assess what's actually happening and discuss options. This article summarizes research; it isn't a personal recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
So does creatine raise DHT or not?
One 2009 study found a rise in the DHT-to-testosterone ratio after heavy loading in rugby players, but a 2021 review of the wider evidence found no consistent effect, and the 2025 trial found no significant DHT change at a standard 5 g/day dose. The overall picture is "no reliable effect."
Did the 2009 study actually show hair falling out?
No. It measured hormone levels in blood and never assessed hair, hairlines, or follicles. The jump from that hormone finding to "creatine causes baldness" was an assumption, not a result.
Is it safe if male-pattern baldness runs in my family?
The 2025 trial excluded men with diagnosed hair-loss disorders, so it can't fully answer this for someone already predisposed. The available evidence shows no effect on hair, but if you're concerned, a dermatologist can give guidance tailored to you.
Would a lower dose reduce any risk?
The 2025 trial used the standard 5 g/day maintenance amount — not a high loading dose — and still found no hormonal or hair changes, so there's no established hair-related reason to go below a normal dose. Any supplement questions specific to your health are best raised with a healthcare provider.
Do these findings apply to women?
The direct hair trial studied men aged 18–40, so it doesn't speak specifically to women. There's no evidence creatine causes hair loss in women either, but the targeted research simply hasn't been done in that group.
Sources
- Lak M, Forbes SC, Ashtary-Larky D, et al. "Does creatine cause hair loss? A 12-week randomized controlled trial." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2025. doi:10.1080/15502783.2025.2495229 · PubMed
- van der Merwe J, Brooks NE, Myburgh KH. "Three Weeks of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation Affects Dihydrotestosterone to Testosterone Ratio in College-Aged Rugby Players." Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2009. PubMed
- Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, et al. "Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show?" Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2021;18:13. doi:10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w
This article summarizes published research for general educational purposes and is not medical advice. It does not diagnose, treat, or recommend any specific treatment, dose, or supplement. Research evolves and findings can be revised — talk to your doctor, a dermatologist, or a licensed healthcare provider before making any health or supplement decision. Information is current as of August 2026.