Key Takeaways on Creatine and Hair Loss
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A new randomized controlled trial found no evidence linking creatine and hair loss or damage to hair follicles.
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Creatine supplementation did not increase dihydrotestosterone, the hormone often associated with creatine and balding.
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Direct scalp measurements showed no signs of creatine and hair thinning, suggesting fears about balding from creatine may be unfounded.
Creatine Causes Hair Loss — Separating Myth from Science
There are still many myths about creatine, and one that keeps coming up is the claim that creatine and hair loss are connected. If you spend time in gyms or browsing fitness forums, you have probably heard someone warn that creatine might lead to balding from creatine or speed up creatine and hair thinning.
This concern has caused many people to avoid creatine altogether because they worry about creatine and balding. The problem is that the idea spread much faster than the science behind it.
Fortunately, a new study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition finally took a close look at creatine and hair loss. The study, titled “Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss? A Twelve Week Randomized Controlled Trial,” was conducted by Lak and colleagues and published in twenty twenty five.
The researchers asked a simple but important question: Does creatine actually affect the hormone linked to hair loss or the health of hair follicles themselves?
This question matters because creatine is one of the most popular supplements for building strength and muscle. If creatine and hair loss were truly connected, it would affect millions of athletes and lifters around the world.
But when scientists carefully tested the claim, the results told a very different story.
Creatine did not increase the hormone linked to hair loss, and it did not damage hair follicles (Lak et al., 2025). In other words, concerns about balding from creatine, creatine and hair thinning, or creatine and balding appear to be largely based on misunderstanding rather than evidence.
The Origin of the Creatine and Hair Loss Myth
To understand why people worry about creatine and hair loss, we need to look at the research that started the discussion.
In two thousand nine, researchers led by van der Merwe studied college aged rugby players who supplemented with creatine for three weeks. The study reported an increase in the ratio of dihydrotestosterone to testosterone after creatine supplementation (van der Merwe, Brooks, & Myburgh, 2009).
Because dihydrotestosterone is linked to male pattern baldness, some people interpreted this as proof that creatine could lead to creatine and balding, balding from creatine, or even creatine and hair thinning.
However, the study had several important limitations.
First, the research lasted only three weeks, which is not enough time to evaluate real changes related to creatine and hair loss.
Second, the study did not measure hair loss directly. It only measured hormone levels.
Third, the sample size was relatively small.
Despite these limitations, the results spread quickly online. Over time, the belief that creatine and hair loss were connected became widely accepted. Many people started worrying about balding from creatine, creatine and balding, or creatine and hair thinning, even though the study never measured actual hair changes.
Science requires more than one small study. Researchers need controlled trials that examine the real outcome being discussed. In this case, that means measuring hair health directly.
That is exactly what the new study attempted to do.
The New Study on Creatine and Hair
Lak and colleagues conducted a twelve week randomized controlled trial involving resistance trained men between eighteen and forty years old (Lak et al., 2025).
Forty five men initially joined the study, and thirty eight completed the full protocol.
Participants were divided into two groups.
One group consumed five grams of creatine monohydrate per day.
The other group consumed five grams of maltodextrin, which served as a placebo.
The powders looked identical, and neither the participants nor the researchers knew who received which supplement until the study ended. This type of design is known as a double blind placebo controlled trial, which is one of the most reliable ways to study questions like creatine and hair loss.
Participants continued their normal resistance training programs throughout the twelve week period.
Before the study began and again after twelve weeks, the researchers measured several variables related to creatine and hair loss, including:
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Total testosterone
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Free testosterone
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Dihydrotestosterone
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Hair density
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Hair thickness
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Hair follicle counts
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Hair growth stage patterns
To evaluate whether creatine and hair thinning or creatine and balding occurred, dermatologists used specialized scalp imaging technology. This allowed the researchers to examine hair follicles directly.
Instead of guessing about balding from creatine, the researchers measured the actual health of the scalp.
Results: Creatine Does Not Affect Hair Loss
After twelve weeks, the findings were clear.
Creatine did not increase dihydrotestosterone levels.
This is important because concerns about creatine and hair loss often focus on this hormone.
The researchers also found no differences between the creatine group and the placebo group in total testosterone or free testosterone (Lak et al., 2025).
Next, the scientists examined the scalp measurements to see if creatine and hair thinning, creatine and balding, or balding from creatine had occurred.
Once again, there were no meaningful differences.
- Hair density stayed the same.
- Hair thickness stayed the same.
- Hair follicle counts stayed the same.
- Even the balance between growing hairs and resting hairs remained unchanged.
In simple terms, the study found no evidence supporting a connection between creatine and hair loss.
Some hormone levels changed slightly over time, but these changes occurred in both groups and were unrelated to creatine supplementation.
Creatine Causes Hair Loss is More Hype than Scientific Proof
So what should lifters and athletes take away from this research?
First, the results directly challenge the popular belief that creatine and hair loss are connected.
For years, people have worried about balding from creatine, creatine and hair thinning, and creatine and balding. But when scientists examined the issue in a controlled study, they found no evidence supporting these concerns.
Second, the new research is especially valuable because it measured actual hair health, not just hormone levels.
Hair density, follicle counts, and hair thickness remained stable throughout the study. This suggests that creatine does not damage hair follicles or contribute to creatine and hair thinning.
Third, the dose used in the study reflects how many athletes actually take creatine.
Five grams per day is the most common maintenance intake recommended in sports nutrition. If creatine and hair loss were truly linked, researchers would likely have seen changes after twelve weeks. Instead, they found none.
This does not mean genetics do not influence hair loss. Male pattern baldness is strongly influenced by genetic sensitivity to hormones.
However, the idea that creatine accelerates that process through creatine and balding, balding from creatine, or creatine and hair thinning does not appear to be supported by current evidence.
Conclusion: Creatine and Hair Loss — What the Evidence Really Shows
Creatine has been studied for decades, yet myths about it continue to circulate in the fitness community.
One of the most common claims is that creatine and hair loss are connected. This belief largely began after a small study in two thousand nine reported hormone changes in rugby players (van der Merwe et al., 2009).
However, that research did not measure hair loss directly. The new randomized controlled trial conducted by Lak and colleagues finally examined the issue properly. After twelve weeks of supplementation, researchers found no increase in dihydrotestosterone and no negative changes in hair density, follicle health, or hair growth patterns (Lak et al., 2025).
For athletes and bodybuilders, the message is simple.
Creatine remains one of the most reliable supplements for improving strength and muscle gains.
And based on the best available evidence, creatine and hair loss are not connected.
References
Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., Candow, D., Kleiner, S., Almada, A., & Lopez, H. (2017). 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.
Lak, M., Forbes, S. C., Ashtary Larky, D., Dadkhahfar, S., Robati, R., Nezakati, F., Khajevandi, M., Naseri, S., Gerafiani, A., Haghighat, N., Antonio, J., & Tinsley, G. (2025). Does creatine cause hair loss? A twelve week randomized controlled trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
van der Merwe, J., Brooks, N. E., & Myburgh, K. H. (2009). Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college aged rugby players. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 19(5), 399–404. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0b013e3181b8b52f
