Does creatine cause hair loss? That question has been on the minds of many worried gym goers since 2009. A new study puts that fear to rest.
Key Points:
- A rigorous 12-week trial found no evidence that creatine supplementation increases DHT or causes hair loss in resistance-trained men.
- Despite minor fluctuations in testosterone unrelated to supplementation, creatine showed no negative effects on hair growth or density.
- This is the first study to directly assess both androgen hormones and hair follicle health, providing strong evidence against the claim that creatine contributes to hair loss.
What Is Creatine and Why Do We Take It?
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in small amounts in meat and fish—and made in your liver, kidneys, and pancreas.
It is also among the most popular and well-researched supplements used by athletes, powerlifters, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts worldwide.
In supplement form (often as creatine monohydrate), it supercharges your muscles with rapid energy by increasing phosphocreatine stores, which allows you to train with higher intensity, delays fatigue, and fuels greater gain in strength and lean mass.
Over the last few years, new studies have found that it is even good for your brain.
So what’s the catch?
Well, back in 2009, a study on rugby players hinted that creatine might spike dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone linked to male pattern baldness.1
Those results have never been replicated, but fears that creatine might be stealing your hairline have circulated ever since.
The New 12-Week Randomized Controlled Trial
Recently, a squat of researchers addressed this question in a new 12-week randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, which directly measured creatine’s effect on actual hair health—not just hormone levels.2
Here’s the scoop:
- The study involved 45 healthy, resistance-trained men aged 18-40 randomly assigned to take either 5g/day of creatine monohydrate or a placebo (maltodextrin) for 12 weeks.
- Everyone kept up their usual strength-training workouts (at least 3 times/week) and diets.
- Blood samples were taken at the start and the end of the 12 weeks to measure testosterone, free testosterone, and DHT levels.
- Hair follicle health was assessed using sophisticated contraptions like the Trichogram test and the FotoFinder system, which analyzed:
- Hair count and density
- Hair follicle health
- Thickness, growth phases, and follicular unit count
- The participants had daily WhatsApp check-ins and packet collections to make sure they took their supplement (or what they thought was the supplement in the placebo group).
- They even ensured everyone stopped using hair gel, skipped haircuts, and avoided chemical treatments before their tests.
The Results: No Hair-raising Discoveries
At the end of the trial, the results were clear and definitive.
- Total testosterone did increase slightly, and free testosterone dipped—but these changes were the same in both the creatine and placebo groups (no link to creatine supplementation).
- More importantly, DHT levels, which are often blamed for accelerating hair loss, were unchanged between the creatine and placebo groups.
- But what about the actual hair health? Across every hair metric—count, density, thickness, growth phase, you name it—no significant changes.
In short, creatine doesn’t make your hair thinner or thicker or do a thing to your follicles.
Even after multiple layers of analysis (including removing outliers and applying rank-based tests), the conclusion remained the same: creatine did not impact hair health.
So… Creatine Isn’t the Follicle Fiend After All?
That’s right. This study crushes the myth that creatine causes hair loss—at least when taken at 5g/day for 12 weeks by healthy men. It’s a win for creatine and a win for anyone who’s wanted to bulk without balding.
That being said, the researchers do note that this study focused only on men, didn’t explore longer-term effects, and didn’t factor in family history of hair loss.
So if you’ve got the genetics for thinning hair, creatine still probably isn’t your villain—but this study was not designed to test that.
Final Rep
If you’ve been avoiding creatine for fear of a receding hairline, this new study should put those fears to rest.
Creatine remains one of the safest, most effective supplements for muscle, strenth, and general athletic performance there is.
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Want to learn more about dietary supplements? Which ones are worth your money, and which are questionable or useless? Check our StrengthLog’s Supplement Guide, our free guide where I review 26 of the most popular supplements.
More about creatine:
>> Creatine: Effects, Benefits and Safety
>> The Best Time to Take Creatine
>> Does Creatine Supplementation Increase Intelligence and Memory?
