Does creatine cause hair loss? What the research shows

Tori Klein • September 7, 2026

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Does creatine cause hair loss?

Finding more hair in the shower after starting creatine can make the connection seem obvious. The research has not established that creatine causes hair loss, though, and the most useful recent trial measured the hair itself.

This is what the studies found, where the uncertainty remains and what to do if your hair is changing.

Author: Dr Harpreet Kalra
Published: 7 September 2026 · Updated: 7 September 2026

Contents

Where the concern started
What the 2025 trial found
What we still do not know
If you notice shedding
Does it change your treatment options?
Preparing for an appointment

Where the concern started

Much of the discussion traces back to a 2009 study of college-aged rugby players. It compared creatine with a placebo over three weeks. The researchers measured testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, usually shortened to DHT.

DHT increased during the creatine phase. Because DHT is involved in male pattern hair loss, that finding raised a reasonable question about hair. But the study did not count hairs, measure density or record whether the players developed thinning.

A change in a blood hormone is not the same finding as a change in someone's hair. The study did not demonstrate that creatine made the players lose hair.

What the 2025 trial found

A randomised trial published in April 2025 by Lak and colleagues looked at hair outcomes directly. It recruited 45 men aged 18 to 40 who already did resistance training. Thirty-eight completed the study, with one participant missing the final hair assessment.

The men received either 5 g of creatine monohydrate a day or a placebo for 12 weeks. They continued their usual diets and training. Dermatologists assessed measures including hair density, follicular units and hair thickness, while blood tests measured DHT and testosterone.

The researchers found no statistically significant difference between the groups in DHT or the measured hair outcomes. That is reassuring evidence against the claim that this amount of creatine caused hair loss over the period studied.

The newer trial adds evidence that the older hormone study could not provide: direct measurements of hair over time.

What we still do not know

Twelve weeks is a short period compared with years of supplement use. The trial was small, included men only and used one daily amount. It cannot tell us what would happen with every product, higher doses or long-term use in every group of people.

It also excluded people with previous hair transplantation and people who had used treatments such as finasteride or minoxidil. The results therefore do not establish a specific rule for taking creatine during transplant recovery.

Current evidence has not established a causal link between creatine and hair loss. New or progressive hair loss still needs its own assessment, even if it begins around the time you start a supplement.

If you notice shedding after starting creatine

Write down when you started the supplement and when you first noticed the change. Keep the product label and note any other medicines or supplements you take. The timing is useful information for an appointment, but it cannot identify the cause by itself.

Hair loss can have several explanations. The NHS lists illness, stress, weight loss and iron deficiency among causes of temporary loss, while pattern hair loss often runs in families. A change in training or diet may coincide with other changes in your health.

Notice what is actually changing: more shedding across the scalp, a gradually receding hairline, reduced crown coverage or a distinct patch. Our guide to hair loss causes in men explains why those patterns lead to different discussions.

If the loss worries you, speak with your GP. A recent supplement change should be part of that conversation, along with any scalp symptoms or wider changes in your health. There is no need to diagnose the problem from online photographs or a single hormone result.

Does creatine change your treatment options?

Taking a gym supplement does not, by itself, establish why your hair is thinning or which treatment fits. The starting point is the diagnosis. Temporary shedding and progressive pattern loss should not be treated as interchangeable problems.

If you are considering surgery, the discussion also needs to cover your existing hair, likely future loss and available donor hair. A graft estimate cannot answer those questions on its own.

At Hair Transplant Birmingham, Dr Harpreet Kalra assesses hair-loss patterns and donor-area suitability as part of treatment planning. You can discuss whether monitoring, medical assessment or a procedure such as FUE hair transplantation is relevant to your circumstances.

If you already have surgery booked, give your surgical team the full supplement list and follow their instructions. The creatine trial was not a study of recovery after a hair transplant.

Preparing for an appointment

Bring older photographs showing your hairline and crown, the names of products you use, and a note of when the loss started. Photographs taken in similar lighting can make it easier to explain a change than relying on memory.

Ask what pattern of loss is visible, whether anything else needs investigating and how progress should be assessed. If treatment is discussed, ask what it is intended to do and when it should be reviewed. You can read our consultation preparation guide before attending.

Appointments with our Birmingham team are held at Edmund House, 12–22 Newhall Street, Birmingham B3 3AS. Use the contact page to arrange a discussion about your hair loss and the options worth considering.

Request a consultation