Does creatine cause hair loss? What the studies measured, and what people were told

The worry comes from one 2009 study, and it shows up on reddit's hair-loss forums all the time. This page puts two things side by side: what the studies on creatine and hair actually measured and found, and what commenters answered in 337 threads (2014–2026) where someone asked whether creatine would cost them hair, said they were losing hair on it, or had stopped it.

In short: the 2009 study measured a rise in DHT in the blood of college rugby players (20 enrolled, 16 finished) over three weeks; it did not measure hair. The first trial that did measure hair (2025, 12 weeks, 38 men who finished it) found no difference between creatine and placebo in DHT or in any hair measure. On reddit, commenters are less sure: in 324 threads with answers, the main advice was “it’s fine” in 28%, “careful” in 19%, “avoid it” in 10%, and commenters split in 42%. In 54% of the threads at least one commenter said creatine had cost them hair. Neither settles it for one person: that is a question for a doctor.

What the studies measured

Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players

van der Merwe J, Brooks NE, Myburgh KH · Clin J Sport Med, 2009 · Double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial, 20 college rugby players, 3 weeks (7-day loading + 14-day maintenance). PubMed abstract only; full text is paywalled and was not fetched. The abstract lists no hair measurement among its outcomes.

  • It was a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study with a 6-week washout. “Double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study with a 6-week washout period.”
  • 20 college-aged rugby players took part, during the competitive season. “College-aged rugby players (n = 20) volunteered for the study, which took place during the competitive season.”
  • Dose: 25 g/day creatine for 7 days, then 5 g/day for 14 days; placebo was glucose. “Subjects loaded with creatine (25 g/day creatine with 25 g/day glucose) or placebo (50 g/day glucose) for 7 days followed by 14 days of maintenance (5 g/day creatine with 25 g/day glucose or 30 g/day glucose placebo).”
  • Only blood testosterone, DHT and body composition were measured, not hair. “Serum T and DHT were measured and ratio calculated at baseline and after 7 days and 21 days of creatine supplementation (or placebo). Body composition measurements were taken at each time point.”
  • Testosterone did not change; DHT rose 56% after loading and stayed 40% above baseline after maintenance. “serum T levels did not change. However, levels of DHT increased by 56% after 7 days of creatine loading and remained 40% above baseline after 14 days maintenance (P < 0.001).”
  • The DHT:testosterone ratio rose 36% after loading and stayed 22% higher after maintenance. “The ratio of DHT:T also increased by 36% after 7 days creatine supplementation and remained elevated by 22% after the maintenance dose (P < 0.01).”
  • The authors concluded creatine may partly work via more testosterone-to-DHT conversion and called for further study. “Creatine supplementation may, in part, act through an increased rate of conversion of T to DHT. Further investigation is warranted”

Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show?

Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, Gualano B, Jagim AR, Kreider RB, Rawson ES, Smith-Ryan AE, VanDusseldorp TA, Willoughby DS, Ziegenfuss TN · J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2021 · Narrative review by ISSN-affiliated creatine researchers (not a systematic review); section 'Does creatine cause hair loss / baldness?'. Open-access full text (Europe PMC XML converted to plain text); abstract archived as 3. Most authors disclose creatine-industry ties.

  • The hair-loss concern traces mostly to the single 2009 rugby study. “The vast majority of speculation regarding the relationship between creatine supplementation and hair loss/baldness stems from a single study by van der Merwe et al. [61]”
  • The 2009 result has not been replicated, and hard training itself can raise these hormones. “It is important to note that the results of van der Merwe et al. [61] have not been replicated, and that intense resistance exercise itself can cause increases in these androgenic hormones.”
  • The review says 16 men completed the 2009 study and free testosterone was not measured. “no increase in total testosterone was found in the 16 males who completed the study. Free testosterone was not measured.”
  • The DHT rise stayed within normal clinical limits. “the increase in DHT and the DHT: testosterone ratio remained well within normal clinical limits.”
  • Baseline DHT was 23% lower in the creatine group, which partly explains the 'significant' rise. “baseline (prior to supplementation), DHT was 23% lower in the creatine group (0.98 nmol/L) compared to the placebo group (1.26 nmol/L).”
  • No study has reported hair loss in humans from creatine. “no study has reported hair loss/baldness in humans.”
  • 12 other studies looked at creatine and testosterone; ten found no change. “To date, 12 other studies have investigated the effects of creatine supplementation (i.e. doses ranging from 3-25 g/day for 6 days to 12 weeks) on testosterone. Two studies reported small, physiologically insignificant increases in total testosterone after six and seven days of supplementation [65, 66], while the remaining ten studies reported no change in testosterone concentrations.”
  • Conclusion: current evidence does not show creatine raises testosterone or DHT or causes hair loss. “In summary, the current body of evidence does not indicate that creatine supplementation increases total testosterone, free testosterone, DHT or causes hair loss/baldness.”

Does creatine cause hair loss? A 12-week randomized controlled trial

Lak M, Forbes SC, Ashtary-Larky D, Dadkhahfar S, Robati RM, Nezakati F, Khajevandi M, Naseri S, Gerafiani A, Haghighat N, Antonio J, Tinsley GM · J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2025 · Randomized placebo-controlled trial, 45 resistance-trained men (38 completed), 5 g/day creatine vs 5 g/day maltodextrin for 12 weeks; blood androgens plus trichogram/FotoFinder hair measures. PubMed abstract (full text is archive 4).

  • 45 resistance-trained men aged 18-40 were randomised to 5 g/day creatine or a 5 g maltodextrin placebo. “Forty-five resistance-trained males (ages 18-40 years) were recruited and randomly assigned to either a creatine monohydrate (5 g/day) or placebo (5 g maltodextrin/day) group.”
  • Testosterone, free testosterone and DHT were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. “Blood samples were collected at baseline and after 12 weeks to measure total testosterone, free testosterone, and DHT.”
  • Hair was measured with a trichogram and FotoFinder: density, follicular unit count, cumulative thickness. “Hair follicle health was assessed using the Trichogram test and the FotoFinder system (hair density, follicular unit count, and cumulative hair thickness).”
  • 38 men completed the study. “Thirty-eight participants completed the study”
  • No differences between creatine and placebo in DHT, DHT:testosterone ratio or hair measures. “There were no significant differences in DHT levels, DHT-to-testosterone ratio, or hair growth parameters between the creatine and placebo groups.”
  • The authors call it the first study to measure hair directly and say it argues against creatine causing hair loss. “This study was the first to directly assess hair follicle health following creatine supplementation, providing strong evidence against the claim that creatine contributes to hair loss.”
  • Two authors (incl. the ISSN CEO) advise creatine brands. “JA is the CEO and co-founder of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an academic non-profit that may be sponsored by companies that manufacture, market, and sell dietary supplements. He is also a scientific advisor to brands including Creapure®, Bear Balanced®, Create®, and ENHANCED Games®.”
  • Men with a past hair transplant or finasteride/minoxidil use were excluded. “Participants with a history of hair transplantation or medical procedures related to hair restoration were excluded, as were those with prior use of medications commonly prescribed for the prevention or treatment of hair loss, including finasteride or minoxidil.”
  • Hair was assessed by board-certified dermatologists. “The hair assessments were conducted by board-certified dermatologists at the Iran Skin Research Center to ensure high accuracy and reliability in the evaluation process.”
  • Imaging focused on the vertex (crown). “Imaging was focused primarily on the vertex region of the scalp”
  • None of the hair measures changed in either group over time. “Across all hair outcomes, no statistically significant effects of group, time, or group × time were observed (Table 2).”
  • The hair outcomes covered count, density, anagen/telogen rate, follicular units, terminal/vellus rate and thickness. “we did not find any differences in any hair outcome (hair count, density, hair rate anagen, hair rate telogen, total follicular units, hair rate terminal, hair rate vellus, and cumulative thickness).”
  • The authors note their study had no loading phase and ran longer than the 2009 study. “For example, the current study did not use a loading phase and was longer in duration (12 weeks vs. 3 weeks).”
  • In the 2009 study, DHT values in both groups stayed within the normal range. “Importantly, all these values at all time points in both conditions were within normal physiological ranges (healthy adult males aged 18–59 years: 0.8–3.5 nmol/L).”
  • Limitations: men only, 12 weeks only, blood (not hair) androgens, family history not recorded. “First, this study was only conducted in males. Males were selected because DHT has been linked to male pattern baldness, however, future research may be needed in females. The study was only 12 weeks in duration, it is possible that a longer term and higher dose creatine study may alter androgens and hair.”

Quotes are copied from the papers' abstracts and open-access full texts (PubMed and PubMed Central), checked 17 Oct 2026. Two things to weigh: the 2025 trial and the 2021 review are by researchers linked to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, and some of them disclose ties to creatine brands (both papers say so). And the 2025 trial ran 12 weeks in men without a hair transplant or finasteride/minoxidil use; it can't say what happens over years, or in men whose hair loss is already under way.

What commenters told people who asked

337 threads were about creatine and hair: “will it make me lose hair?” (242), “I’m losing hair on creatine” (71) or “I stopped it because of my hair” (24). In 324 of them commenters gave a view. The main advice per thread:

All threads (324) 28% it’s fine · 19% careful · 10% avoid it · 42% split
Will creatine make me lose hair? (236) 33% it’s fine · 18% careful · 10% avoid it · 39% split
I’m losing hair on creatine (64) 11% it’s fine · 22% careful · 14% avoid it · 53% split
I stopped creatine because of my hair (24) 17% it’s fine · 29% careful · 8% avoid it · 46% split
Asker on finasteride or dutasteride (167) 40% it’s fine · 13% careful · 9% avoid it · 39% split
  • go ahead: no real link to hair loss
  • it may speed things up: take it with a DHT blocker or watch your hair
  • stop or don’t take it
  • commenters split

Everything commenters said

Share of the 324 threads where at least one top comment said it:

  • 55%the evidence is one small study (the 2009 rugby study) and it is thin
  • 54%creatine caused or sped up their own hair loss or shedding
  • 44%creatine doesn’t cause hair loss; genetics do
  • 41%it can raise DHT or speed up loss in people already predisposed
  • 41%they take creatine with no hair problems
  • 33%stop it, or it isn’t worth the risk
  • 31%the loss is probably genetic timing, stress or something else
  • 26%it’s fine if you’re on finasteride or another DHT blocker
  • 8%their hair recovered or the shedding stopped after quitting creatine
  • 1%see a dermatologist or get bloodwork

Personal stories pull both ways: in 54% of threads someone said creatine cost them hair, and in 41% someone said they take it with no problems. Neither is a measurement: a thread about creatine and hair loss draws people who connect the two, and hair loss that would have happened anyway can start while someone happens to be taking creatine.

Has the advice changed?

Threads fromWith adviceIt’s fineCarefulAvoid itSplitSomeone calls the evidence thin
up to 20196512%32%20%35%49%
2020–20229329%22%10%40%51%
2023 onwards16633%13%7%46%59%

“It’s fine” went from 12% of threads (up to 2019) to 33% (2023 onwards); “avoid it” from 20% to 7%.

In commenters' words

“it’s fine”

“careful”

“avoid it”

Commenters who said it cost them hair

Commenters who said it didn’t

Commenters who said their hair recovered after stopping

Commenters who said it was something else

What askers said they noticed

71 askers said they were losing hair while on creatine and 24 said they had stopped it because of their hair. Some of them, in their own words:

16 of the 298 people who asked later posted their own minoxidil or finasteride progress report (2 months or more after asking). In their latest one, 2 described regrowth, 4 said it was holding, 3 that it was getting worse, and 7 didn't say clearly. That is too few people to say anything about creatine; it does show that many askers went on to treat the hair loss itself.

How this page was made

We took every live reddit thread in our corpus whose title names creatine and read the asker's post and the top comments by other people: what was asked, what the asker said they noticed, and what commenters said. Threads about something else (creatine for muscle only, study links without a question, other supplements) are not counted. Each quote is copied word for word from the comment or post it links to; each study quote is copied from the archived abstract or full text. Removed posts are left out, usernames are not shown, and posts that mention suicide or self-harm are never quoted. Data as of Oct 2026.

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