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Does creatine cause hair loss?

By Kalorya · July 22, 2026 · 5 min read

Homme se passant la main dans les cheveux

This is the second most common concern surrounding creatine, second only to kidney issues. It is interesting because we can trace it back to its exact source: a single study, published in 2009, involving twenty rugby players. And that study never examined a single hair.

The origin of the myth: a 2009 study

In 2009, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study monitored 20 rugby players who were taking creatine for three weeks. After a 7-day loading phase at 25 g per day, their dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels had increased by 56 per cent, and remained 40 per cent above baseline levels after two weeks of maintenance.

What the 2009 study actually measured(% above the starting level)
DHT — after 7 days on a high dose : 56DHT — after 7 days on a high dose56DHT — after 14 days on a maintenance dose : 40DHT — after 14 days on a maintenance dose40DHT to testosterone ratio — 7 days : 36DHT to testosterone ratio — 7 days36DHT to testosterone ratio — maintenance dose : 22DHT to testosterone ratio — maintenance dose22

A 2009 double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 20 rugby players. Hair was not measured in this study.

Why did this cause concern? Because DHT is the hormone involved in genetically-induced hair loss. So the line of reasoning followed naturally: creatine → more DHT → hair loss.

The missing link

This study measured a hormone in the blood. It did not count any hairs, measure hair density or monitor hair loss. The final step in the line of reasoning — ‘therefore, hair falls out’ — was never tested in this study. For more than fifteen years, the whole myth has been based on this deduction.

2025: someone has finally taken a look at the hair

In 2025, a randomised controlled trial tackled the issue head-on — its title is literally ‘Does creatine cause hair loss?’. Forty-five young men who did resistance training were given 5 g of creatine monohydrate a day or a placebo for 12 weeks.

This time, the researchers measured both ends of the spectrum: hormones (total testosterone, free testosterone, DHT) and the actual condition of the hair — density, number of follicular units and cumulative thickness.

What was measuredResults: creatine versus placebo
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)No significant difference
DHT to testosterone ratioNo significant difference
Hair density, follicular units, thicknessNo significant difference

In other words: at the dose actually used by participants (5 g per day), this trial found neither the increase in DHT observed in 2009 nor any effect whatsoever on the hair.

And what about testosterone in general?

A 2001 study had already examined the hormonal response to exercise: in young, healthy men, a short course of supplementation (20 g/day for 5 days) did not alter the responses of testosterone or growth hormone to a resistance training session. Creatine is not a hormone.

What we can honestly say

StatementWhat the studies say
"Creatine causes hair loss"No study has shown this. The only one that analysed hair samples (2025) found nothing.
"Creatine increases DHT"Observed once, in 2009, at a high dose. Not detected in 2025 at 5 g/day.
"Creatine increases testosterone"No — no change in the hormonal response (2001).

There are limits, after all

Three studies is not many. The 2025 trial involved 45 young, fit men who were monitored for 12 weeks — yet genetic hair loss develops over many years, and these participants were not selected for having a predisposition to it. There is therefore no evidence of a long-term effect in someone who is genetically susceptible. What we can say is that, to date, there is no data to support the link — though that does not mean it is impossible for all time.

Dosage, proven benefits and study summaries: it’s all on the creatine fact sheet, along with the sources.

See the creatine fact sheet

The other major concern, regarding the kidneys, is also based on a misunderstanding — this is explained in detail in ‘Creatine and the kidneys: is there a risk?’.

This article is based on the three studies listed below, which are the only publications found on the link between creatine, androgenic hormones and hair. They are summarised on the basis of their abstracts alone. This is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice.

The studies cited

  1. Short-term creatine supplementation does not alter the hormonal response to resistance training. (2001)
  2. Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players. (2009)
  3. Does creatine cause hair loss? A 12-week randomized controlled trial. (2025)
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