Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss? What Trials Show

No evidence shows that creatine causes hair loss. The worry traces to one 2009 study of 20 rugby players, in which DHT rose 56% after a week of loading¹. A 12-week trial in 38 men, half taking 5 g/day and half a placebo, found no change in DHT or hair density².

Creatine monohydrate is one of the best-studied supplements, and the 2009 result has not been replicated³. Our creatine page covers its benefits and general safety.

It comes from a single study. Researchers gave 20 college rugby players creatine or placebo in a crossover design with a 6-week washout¹.

• Dose: 25 g/day for 7 days, then 5 g/day for 14 days¹.
• DHT: up 56% after the loading week and still 40% above baseline after maintenance¹.
• DHT-to-testosterone ratio: up 36% after loading and 22% after maintenance¹.
• Testosterone: unchanged¹.

DHT (dihydrotestosterone) is the hormone that shrinks susceptible hair follicles in male pattern baldness⁴, so the theory that creatine causes hair loss gained momentum³. The study measured hormones, not hair¹.

Why the 2009 result is weaker than it sounds

A 2021 review by creatine researchers pointed out several limits³:

• The result has not been replicated.
• Hard resistance exercise can itself raise androgens.
• Only 16 players completed the study.
• DHT in the creatine group started 23% lower than in the placebo group (0.98 vs 1.26 nmol/L), which helps explain the gap.
• DHT and the DHT-to-testosterone ratio stayed within normal clinical limits.
• Free testosterone, which the body converts to DHT, was not measured.

The 2009 authors read their result differently. They suggested creatine may speed the conversion of testosterone to DHT, called for more research, and said its long-term clinical safety could not be assured¹. Their study did not look at hair.

Researchers finally tested the question directly. In a 12-week double-blind trial, 45 resistance-trained men aged 18 to 40 were recruited and randomly assigned to 5 g/day of creatine monohydrate or 5 g/day of maltodextrin, a placebo. Six dropped out before starting and one during the trial, leaving 19 men in each group².

Blood tests measured total testosterone, free testosterone and DHT at the start and after 12 weeks. Dermatologists photographed the crown of the scalp, one of the commonest sites of pattern hair loss, and measured hair count, density, thickness, follicular units and the share of hairs in the growing and resting phases².

• DHT: no change over 12 weeks in either group, and no difference between creatine and placebo in DHT or the DHT-to-testosterone ratio².
• Hair: no change in any hair measure over time or between groups (p > 0.05)².
• Total testosterone: rose in both groups, by about 124 ng/dL with creatine and 216 ng/dL with placebo, so supplementation was not the cause².

The authors concluded the data counter the claim that creatine contributes to hair loss, and they list the trial's limits². It enrolled only men, lasted 12 weeks, measured hormones in blood rather than in hair, and did not record family history of hair loss. So it cannot show whether creatine affects men who are already prone to balding.

Mostly no. The 2021 review counted 12 other studies of creatine at 3 to 25 g/day for 6 days to 12 weeks that measured testosterone³.

• Ten studies: no change in testosterone.
• Two studies: small rises in total testosterone after 6 and 7 days, which the review called physiologically insignificant.
• Five studies that measured free testosterone: no increase³.

A crossover trial in 11 men found that 5 days of 20 g/day did not change testosterone or growth hormone responses to a heavy lifting session⁵. An 8-week trial in 40 young adults reported higher testosterone-to-cortisol ratios with creatine plus training, and it did not measure DHT or hair⁶.

The review's summary: the evidence does not show that creatine raises total testosterone, free testosterone or DHT, or causes baldness³. Before the 2025 trial, no study had confirmed or refuted the 2009 DHT result².

In male pattern hair loss, DHT binds to androgen receptors in genetically susceptible follicles and makes them shrink³. This follicle miniaturization causes progressive hair thinning⁴.

Genes decide which follicles respond. Androgenetic alopecia affects up to 80% of men by age 80, and both genetics and androgens drive it⁷. So a rise in blood DHT does not by itself mean hair loss: DHT has been linked to some, but not all, cases of hair loss³.

See our pages on DHT balance and DHT reduction for supplements studied in this area.

No study has shown it does. The only hair-focused trial enrolled men, and no human study has reported hair loss from creatine^{2, 3}.

The DHT theory also fits women less well. Androgens, especially DHT, play a clear role in male pattern loss, but their exact role in female pattern hair loss is unclear⁸.

Women have 70% to 80% lower endogenous creatine stores than men, and reviews of creatine across the female lifespan report benefits for strength, body composition, mood and cognition^{9, 10}. Our guide to creatine for women covers dose and safety.

The timing may be coincidence. Reports of hair loss on creatine are personal observations, and the one trial that measured hair found no change². Pattern hair loss is common and driven by genetics and androgens, so it can begin while you happen to be taking creatine⁷.

If you want to act, see a dermatologist. The main treatments are^{4, 7}:

• Finasteride and dutasteride: prescription 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors that reduce DHT in hair follicles. In the US both are labeled for men only: finasteride 1 mg for male pattern hair loss, and dutasteride only for an enlarged prostate^{11, 12}.
• Topical minoxidil: works without touching androgens, and low-dose oral minoxidil has growing evidence. For women, topical minoxidil is the only FDA-approved treatment for pattern hair loss⁸.

These medicines slow or arrest progression and allow only partial regrowth at best, so earlier treatment gives better results⁷. They rely on long-term use⁴: finasteride's label says the effect reverses within 12 months of stopping¹¹.

Finasteride and dutasteride are not safe in pregnancy. Women who are or may be pregnant must not take them or handle broken tablets or leaking capsules, because they can harm a male fetus^{11, 12}.

Finasteride's most common side effects are lower libido, erectile dysfunction and ejaculation problems¹¹. Reports since approval also include sexual problems that continued after stopping, depression and suicidal thoughts¹¹. It lowers PSA, a blood test used to screen for prostate cancer, so tell your doctor you take it¹¹.

You can compare the supplements studied for hair on our hair thinning and loss page and our hair health hub.

For healthy adults, yes¹³. Typical recommended intake is 3 to 5 g/day, or 0.1 g/kg of body mass³. The International Society of Sports Nutrition concluded that short and long-term supplementation, up to 30 g/day for 5 years, is safe and well tolerated in healthy people¹⁴.

The most common side effect is water retention in the first several days³. A loading phase of 20 g/day for 5 to 7 days typically adds 1 to 3 kg of body mass, mostly water³. Taken with strength training, creatine can add 1 to 2 kg of body weight in a month¹³.

A 2025 follow-up review by creatine researchers again describes creatine monohydrate as safe and effective across the lifespan¹⁵. The same review found no randomized trials of its safety in human pregnancy¹⁵. The hair-loss trial used 5 g/day without a loading phase². See when to take creatine for timing.

Hair loss is not a reported effect of creatine³. Case reports of kidney problems in creatine users were confounded by existing kidney disease, medicines, other supplements, very high doses or steroid use³. If you have kidney disease, take other medicines or supplements, or are pregnant, check with a clinician before starting.

Supplements in this guide

• Creatine Monohydrate

We searched PubMed for creatine with DHT, testosterone and hair loss, then for reviews of androgenetic alopecia and creatine safety, in October 2026. We read the records of 13 papers and cited 12: one randomized trial of hair outcomes, the 2009 rugby crossover, two other trials, and reviews of creatine safety, women's health and hair-loss treatment. On 14 October 2026 we rechecked every claim against its source, reading the full texts of the 2025 trial and the 2021 review, the US labels for finasteride and dutasteride and the NIH fact sheet on exercise supplements, and corrected the article where it fell short. The evidence cannot tell us about women, men with existing pattern loss, or hair effects beyond 12 weeks, because no trial has tested them.

1. van der Merwe J, et al. Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players. Clin J Sport Med. 2009;19(5):399-404. doi:10.1097/JSM.0b013e3181b8b52f
2. Lak M, et al. Does creatine cause hair loss? A 12-week randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2025;22(sup1):2495229. doi:10.1080/15502783.2025.2495229
3. Antonio J, et al. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show?. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021;18(1):13. doi:10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w
4. Shin JW, et al. Updates in Treatment for Androgenetic Alopecia. Ann Dermatol. 2025;37(6):327-335. doi:10.5021/ad.25.042
5. Eijnde BO, et al. Short-term creatine supplementation does not alter the hormonal response to resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001;33(3):449-53. doi:10.1097/00005768-200103000-00018
6. Eghbali E, et al. Supplementing With Which Form of Creatine (Hydrochloride or Monohydrate) Alongside Resistance Training Can Have More Impacts on Anabolic/Catabolic Hormones, Strength and Body Composition?. Physiol Res. 2024;73(5):739-753. doi:10.33549/physiolres.935323
7. York K, et al. A review of the treatment of male pattern hair loss. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2020;21(5):603-612. doi:10.1080/14656566.2020.1721463 Our study summary.
8. Ong MM, et al. Antiandrogen therapy for the treatment of female pattern hair loss: A clinical review of current and emerging therapies. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025;93(3):749-760. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2025.04.074
9. Smith-Ryan AE, et al. Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective. Nutrients. 2021;13(3). doi:10.3390/nu13030877
10. Smith-Ryan AE, et al. Creatine in women's health: bridging the gap from menstruation through pregnancy to menopause. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2025;22(1):2502094. doi:10.1080/15502783.2025.2502094
11. DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine. Finasteride 1 mg tablets (PROPECIA): prescribing information, revised August 2022. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=6f904709-65aa-44ce-b144-b4c8a0416e36
12. DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine. Dutasteride 0.5 mg capsules (AVODART): prescribing information, revised March 2025. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda/fdaDrugXsl.cfm?setid=960797b3-09b1-4d6a-8ece-8b5d918e93e4&type=display
13. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ExerciseAndAthleticPerformance-HealthProfessional/
14. Kreider RB, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z Our study summary.
15. Antonio J, et al. Part II. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show?. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2025;22(1):2441760. doi:10.1080/15502783.2024.2441760