Human studies have not shown that creatine monohydrate causes hair loss. The concern grew from a 2009 study that found higher blood levels of DHT, a hormone involved in some types of balding. That study never measured hair loss. In 2025, researchers finally examined scalp hair directly. After 12 weeks, they found no significant difference between men taking creatine and those taking a placebo.[1][2]
That is worth knowing if you are considering creatine while also noticing changes in your hair. Hair thinning often becomes more visible in midlife.
For the wider evidence on strength, dosage, and use after menopause, see our Creatine for Women guide. Here, the focus stays on your hair.
Why is creatine linked to hair loss?
One study published in 2009 gave the claim its staying power. Researchers investigated creatine and male sex hormones in 20 college-aged rugby players. But the finding was easy to misread.
The players took 25 g of creatine daily during a seven-day loading phase, followed by 5 g daily for another two weeks. Researchers measured testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, usually called DHT, in blood.[1]
DHT is made from testosterone. It can contribute to male-pattern baldness in people whose hair follicles are sensitive to its effects. DHT is still not a direct measure of hair loss.
After the loading phase, the creatine group had a 56% rise in serum DHT from its starting value. Levels remained 40% above that baseline after two more weeks. Testosterone did not change significantly.[1]
The often-repeated 56% figure is not a 56% risk of baldness. It describes a change in blood DHT. The researchers never counted shed hairs or examined hair density.
There is another detail. DHT started lower during the creatine phase than during the placebo phase. A later review found that most other creatine studies measuring testosterone reported no rise. Most did not measure DHT directly.[3]
The 2025 study looked at actual scalp hair
The study published in April 2025 addressed the missing piece. This time, researchers measured the hair itself.
They recruited 45 resistance-trained men aged 18 to 40 and assigned them to creatine monohydrate or a placebo. The creatine dose was 5 g every day, with no loading phase. Thirty-eight men completed the 12 weeks. Hair measurements were available for 37.[2]
Researchers took blood samples to assess DHT and testosterone. Dermatologists also used scalp imaging to examine hair density, the number of hairs and follicular units, and hair thickness.
The two groups did not differ significantly in any measured hair outcome. Creatine also produced no significant difference in DHT compared with placebo. Some hormone measures shifted in both groups, independently of creatine.[2]
This is stronger evidence for the hair-loss question than the 2009 hormone study.
There is a limit to the reassurance. Twelve weeks cannot tell us what happens after years of use. The participants were young men, not women navigating menopause.
What about women who already have thinning hair?
Hair thinning after 40 does not always have an obvious cause. You may notice your part growing wider, more scalp showing in photographs, or a ponytail that feels smaller than it used to.
These are common signs of female-pattern hair loss. It often becomes noticeable in the 40s, 50s, or 60s. Genetics play a role, and the hormonal changes around menopause can contribute.[4]
A widening part may progress without a dramatic increase in hair on your brush. That is one reason to look at the pattern, not just count fallen strands.
It would be misleading to explain all of this through DHT alone. Many women with female-pattern hair loss have normal circulating androgen levels. A blood DHT result cannot tell you, by itself, whether your hair is thinning or why.[5]
That is why the old creatine claim needs particular care when applied to women. It began with serum hormone changes in male athletes. We do not have a comparable controlled trial showing that oral creatine causes female-pattern thinning.
If your hair starts thinning after you begin creatine
Two events happening close together do not establish cause. Hair shedding can follow a trigger months later.
Illness, major stress, and substantial weight loss can cause increased shedding months later. This is often called telogen effluvium. Female-pattern hair loss tends to progress more gradually, though the two can occur together.[6]
Start by noting the pattern. More strands in the shower differ from a widening part or a sudden bare patch.
CELLSHE PRACTICAL CHECK
What kind of hair change are you noticing?
| What you notice | What to pay attention to |
|---|---|
| More hair coming out across the scalp | Think back two or three months. Illness, stress, or major weight loss can precede temporary shedding.[6] |
| A widening part or less ponytail fullness | Note whether the change has been gradual. Ask about female-pattern hair loss rather than assuming a supplement caused it.[4] |
| A sudden bald patch, pain, or scalp inflammation | Seek medical assessment promptly. These changes may need a different evaluation from ordinary shedding. |
CELLSHE interpretation: A practical way to organize the signs described by the American Academy of Dermatology. The table cannot identify a diagnosis or establish whether creatine contributed.[4][6]
Write down when you first noticed the change. Include recent illnesses, medicines, changes in eating or body weight, and any supplements you started. Photographs taken in similar lighting can make gradual changes easier to describe.
If you have been dieting, include weight changes. Substantial weight loss can trigger shedding. Our article on creatine and weight loss covers the separate body-composition question.
Persistent thinning or heavy shedding deserves medical assessment. Bring your supplement details and discuss whether a pause makes sense.
How fast would creatine cause hair loss?
There is no established timeline because human trials have not demonstrated that oral creatine causes hair loss. A story about shedding a few weeks after starting creatine describes timing, not proof. Without baseline hair measurements or a comparison group, it cannot identify the cause. In the 12-week trial, hair outcomes did not differ significantly from placebo.[2]
Can creatine help hair grow instead?
Oral creatine monohydrate has not been shown to regrow hair in clinical trials. A study of a creatine-containing hair lotion may appear in searches, but it answers a different question.
That 2021 trial involved women with acute shedding. The scalp lotion contained creatine alongside a peptide and B vitamins. Some early measures favored the lotion, but its main result at 16 weeks was not significantly different from the comparison group. The study cannot isolate creatine's effect or tell us what happens when creatine is swallowed.[7]
Should hair loss concerns stop you taking creatine?
Current human evidence does not support avoiding creatine monohydrate solely because of a rumored link to baldness. The widely repeated warning came from a hormone study that never examined hair. The trial that did examine scalp hair found no significant difference after 12 weeks.
If your hair is thinning, take the change seriously. Its pattern and your health history are better starting points than a rumor about DHT.
Scientific References
- 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. PMID: 19741313. DOI: 10.1097/JSM.0b013e3181b8b52f. PubMed.
- 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. PMID: 40265319. DOI: 10.1080/15502783.2025.2495229. Full text.
- 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;18:13. PMID: 33557850. DOI: 10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w. Full text.
- American Academy of Dermatology Association. Thinning hair and hair loss: Could it be female pattern hair loss? AAD guidance.
- Carmina E, Azziz R, Bergfeld W, et al. Female pattern hair loss and androgen excess: A report from the multidisciplinary Androgen Excess and PCOS Committee. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2019;104(7):2875–2891. PMID: 30785992. DOI: 10.1210/jc.2018-02548. PubMed.
- American Academy of Dermatology Association. Do you have hair loss or hair shedding? AAD guidance.
- Turlier V, Darde MS, Loustau J, Mengeaud V. Assessment of the effects of a hair lotion in women with acute telogen effluvium: a randomized controlled study. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2021;35(Suppl 2):12–20. PMID: 34668237. DOI: 10.1111/jdv.17245. PubMed.
