Someone at your gym told you creatine would thin your hair, and now the tub is in the cupboard, unopened. The claim traces back to a single study of 20 rugby players published in 2009. That study never looked at anyone’s hair. So does creatine cause hair loss? Here is what that trial actually found, and what happened when researchers finally went and measured hair directly.
Key takeaways
- No study has shown that creatine causes hair loss.
- The concern comes from a 2009 trial in 20 male rugby players where DHT rose 56% during a loading phase and stayed 40% above baseline. No hair outcome was measured, and all values stayed within the normal range.
- A 2025 randomized controlled trial was the first to measure hair directly. Over 12 weeks, dermatologists found no difference between creatine and placebo in hair count, hair density or hair thickness.
- That same trial found no difference in testosterone, DHT, or the DHT to testosterone ratio.
- Pattern hair loss is driven mainly by genetics and androgen sensitivity. Family history is the strongest known predictor.
Where the claim came from
In 2009, van der Merwe and colleagues published a study in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. Twenty male college rugby players took creatine monohydrate: 25 g a day for seven days as a loading phase, then 5 g a day for 14 days.
Serum dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, rose 56% after the loading week and remained about 40% above baseline through the maintenance phase. The DHT to testosterone ratio rose 36%, then settled 22% above baseline. Total testosterone did not change significantly.
DHT is the androgen most implicated in male pattern baldness. So the inference wrote itself: creatine raises DHT, DHT causes hair loss, therefore creatine causes hair loss.
What that study did not measure
Hair.
The researchers were studying hormone ratios in athletes. They did not assess hair count, hair density, follicle miniaturization, or any hair-related outcome at any point. The headline that has followed the study for fifteen years is an inference drawn from it, not a finding reported in it.
Two more details matter. The sample was 20 people, over three weeks. And the DHT values in both groups stayed inside the normal physiological range for healthy adult men throughout. A percentage increase from a low starting point inside a normal range is not the same thing as a clinically meaningful hormonal shift.
Does creatine cause hair loss? What the 2025 trial found
In April 2025, a research group published the first randomized controlled trial designed to answer this directly, in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
Forty-five resistance-trained men aged 18 to 40 were randomized to 5 g a day of creatine monohydrate or 5 g of maltodextrin placebo, double-blind, for 12 weeks. Thirty-eight completed. Participants who had used finasteride or minoxidil, or who had scalp or endocrine conditions, were excluded.
Hair was assessed by board-certified dermatologists using a trichogram and dermoscopic imaging of the crown, the area where pattern thinning shows first.
The results, across every measure:
- No difference between groups in DHT, total testosterone, free testosterone, or the DHT to testosterone ratio
- No difference in hair count, hair density, or total follicular units
- No difference in the percentage of hairs in the growth phase or the resting phase
- No difference in the percentage of terminal versus fine vellus hairs
- No difference in cumulative hair thickness
- No reported side effects in either group
The authors’ conclusion was that the findings refute the claim that creatine causes baldness.
| van der Merwe, 2009 | Lak and colleagues, 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Participants | 20 male rugby players | 38 resistance-trained males, aged 18 to 40 |
| Duration | 3 weeks | 12 weeks |
| Dose | 25 g/day for 7 days, then 5 g/day | 5 g/day, no loading phase |
| DHT result | Up 56%, then 40% above baseline, all within normal range | No difference versus placebo |
| Hair measured | No | Yes, trichogram and dermoscopy by dermatologists |
| Hair result | Not assessed | No difference in count, density or thickness |
Worth being straight about the limits. This is one trial. It ran 12 weeks, not years. It enrolled men only, so it says nothing directly about women. It used 5 g a day with no loading phase, so it does not test the exact protocol the 2009 study used. It is the best evidence available on the question and it is not the last word.
Does creatine raise DHT?
Probably not at standard doses. The 2009 result has not been replicated in the sixteen years since, and the 2025 trial found no effect on DHT at 5 g a day.
Broader reviews of creatine’s hormonal effects, including the International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand and its follow-up reviews of common misconceptions, have consistently found no reliable evidence of androgen changes. Most studies measuring testosterone with creatine have found no change.
If there is an effect, it is small, inconsistent, and has never been connected to an actual hair outcome.
So what is thinning your hair?
Usually genetics, and usually it would have happened anyway.
Androgenetic alopecia is the most common cause of hair loss in adults. It involves follicles that are sensitive to androgens gradually producing finer, shorter hairs until they stop producing visible hair at all. The sensitivity is inherited. In one large study, men whose fathers had hair loss were twice as likely to have it themselves.
Age matters, and so does timing. Most people start noticing pattern thinning in their twenties and thirties, which is exactly the age range where people also start lifting seriously and taking creatine. Two things happening at once is not one thing causing the other.
Other causes worth ruling out include thyroid disorders, iron deficiency, rapid weight loss, and telogen effluvium after illness or major stress. Those are worth investigating, because several of them are reversible and pattern hair loss is not.
If you are seeing thinning, the early signs of hair loss is a better place to start than a supplement audit. Where treatment is appropriate, topical minoxidil and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors are the two classes with the strongest trial evidence in androgenetic alopecia, and a licensed provider can advise whether either is suitable for you.
Is creatine safe otherwise?
Creatine monohydrate is among the most studied supplements in sports nutrition, and the safety record in healthy adults is good.
The 2025 trial also measured creatinine and estimated kidney filtration rate, both markers used to screen for kidney problems, and found no change after 12 weeks. This addresses a separate long-running concern. Creatine supplementation does raise measured creatinine slightly in some people, which can look alarming on a lab report without meaning anything is wrong with the kidneys, so mention it to whoever ordered the test.
Safety and who should speak with a healthcare provider first
Speak with a licensed healthcare provider before starting creatine if you:
- have kidney disease, reduced kidney function, or a single kidney
- have liver disease
- are pregnant or breastfeeding, since safety has not been established
- take medication that affects the kidneys, including some anti-inflammatories and diuretics
- are under 18
- have an upcoming blood test, so the creatinine result can be interpreted correctly
If your hair is thinning noticeably, shedding suddenly, or coming out in patches, that warrants an assessment rather than a supplement change. Patchy loss in particular is not pattern hair loss and needs a different look.
Frequently asked questions
Does creatine cause hair loss?
The available evidence says no. The claim rests on one 2009 study that measured hormones rather than hair. A 2025 randomized trial measured hair directly over 12 weeks and found no difference from placebo in hair count, density or thickness, and no difference in DHT.
Can creatine cause hair loss in women?
There is no evidence that it does, but there is also very little evidence either way. The 2025 trial enrolled men only, because DHT is linked to male pattern baldness. Women experiencing hair thinning should have it assessed rather than assume a supplement is responsible.
Does creatine raise DHT?
One 2009 study found a 56% rise during a high-dose loading phase, with values staying inside the normal range. No study has replicated it, and the 2025 randomized trial found no effect on DHT at 5 g a day. The current weight of evidence points to no meaningful effect.
Should I stop taking creatine if my hair is thinning?
Stopping is unlikely to change anything, since the evidence does not link creatine to hair loss. Pattern thinning progresses without treatment regardless. A better step is to have the thinning assessed, so that a reversible cause is not missed and treatment can start earlier if it is appropriate.
Does creatine cause hair thinning at 5 grams a day?
The 2025 trial used exactly 5 g a day for 12 weeks with no loading phase and found no change in any hair measure. That is the dose most people take. The 2009 study used 25 g a day for the first week, which is a different protocol.
Is creatine bad for your kidneys?
In healthy adults, the evidence does not support this. The 2025 trial found no change in creatinine or estimated filtration rate over 12 weeks. Creatine can nudge measured creatinine upward without reflecting kidney damage, so tell your provider you take it before a blood test.
The bottom line
The creatine and hair loss link is one inference, drawn from one small study, that has outlived the evidence supporting it. The one trial that actually looked at hair found nothing. If your hairline is moving, creatine is not the reason, and the more useful question is what is.
You can see MyRocky’s creatine monohydrate, look at hair loss treatment options, or speak with a licensed provider if your hair has changed and you want it looked at properly.
References
- 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;22(Suppl 1):2495229. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12020143/
- 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;19(5):399-404. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0b013e3181b8b52f
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017;14:18. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5469049/
- 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(1). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7871530/
- Chumlea WC, Rhodes T, Girman CJ, et al. Family history and risk of hair loss. Dermatology, 2004;209(1):33-39. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15237265/
Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider with any questions about a medical condition or treatment.
Editorial Standards: At Rocky Health, we’ve made it our mission to support men and women with trustworthy, easy-to-understand medical and health information online. Read more about our editorial standards here.
