The myth about hair loss from creatine is debunked! A new study has finally examined the hair follicles themselves!

You all know how it goes. You walk into the gym, start talking about supplements, and as soon as the word “creatine” comes up, there’s always someone who slaps you on the shoulder warningly: “Watch out, bro, or it’ll make your hair fall out.” This scare tactic has been circulating in gyms for over fifteen years. But now we have a groundbreaking study from 2025 that took a close look at this issue—literally down to the hair follicles themselves. What’s the truth?

Where did the myth about creatine and baldness originate?

This whole panic, which has persisted for more than two decades, hangs by a single, very thin strand of hair. It all began in 2009, when a study conducted on 20 college rugby players was published. At the time, researchers found that after a one-week “loading phase” of creatine, the players’ levels of the hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone)—which is closely linked to male pattern baldness—had increased.

From that moment on, word spread like wildfire. The news spread across internet forums, and a“slight increase in DHT” suddenly became an irrefutable fact:“creatine causes baldness.”

What Didn’t They Tell You About the 2009 Study?

If we take a critical look at the original research, we’ll find several major flaws that weren’t mentioned in the sensational headlines:

• No one examined the hair: The study did not measure the quality, density, or hair loss of the participants themselves at all.
• Normal Levels: Even though DHTlevels increased in the players, these values remained well within standard reference ranges throughout the study. None of the participants actually began to go bald.
• Extreme dosing: The players in the test consumed 25 grams of creatine daily, which is 2.5 to 5 times more than the typical maintenance dose for the vast majority of exercisers (5 g).

And perhaps even more importantly—when researchers attempted to replicate this spike in hormone levels in subsequent studies, they were never able to do so. Broader reviews of creatine’s effect on hormones have found no consistent changes in either DHT or testosterone across numerous studies.

The Year 2025: The Final Verdict Straight from the Hair Follicles

But now, scientists have decided to tackle this myth head-on. A 12-week randomized controlled trial was conducted in which 45 men who exercised regularly were given either 5 grams of creatine daily or a placebo.

And the best part? For the first time ever, the researchers examined hair follicles (roots) directly, along with blood markers for testosterone and DHT.

The results were absolutely reassuring for all fans of this supplement:

• No changes to the hair. Taking the supplement left not a single trace.
• No difference in hair density or thickness.
• No deterioration in the health of the hair roots.
• No difference in DHT levels or in the DHT-to-testosterone ratio.

Critics could, of course, argue that the study lasted only 12 weeks, was conducted on healthy young men, and did not specifically test individuals with a clear genetic predisposition to baldness. But let’s be honest—creatine has been studied for more than three decades, and there is no real evidence (aside from that one misleading study that didn’t measure hair) to support a link to hair loss.

Final Verdict

If we stick to the hard data and science, there’s no reason to believe that creatine causes hair loss or damages your hair. Your mane is safe.

However, if you’re already taking creatine, watch out for one other thing: quality and purity. The supplement market is a wild one, and there’s a real problem with low-quality products or brands with misleading labels where the amount of creatine doesn’t match the stated content. That’s why you should always buy creatine from trusted brands, ideally those with third-party certification (such as Informed Sport or NSF Certified for Sport). That’s the only way to be sure you’re putting exactly what your muscles need into your body—without any unwanted additives.