Hair removal

Where adult humans have hair, woman on the left, man on the right. Light brown: only a little, or thin haie, darker brown: more hair or thicker hair

Leg shaving using a razor

When people deliberately remoce the hair on their head or their body, this is called hair removal. Other words for it are epilation or depilation. Hair can commonly be found on the human body. Thiis varies from person to person. Usually, with the start of puberty people get more hair. In general, men have thicker hair, and more hair than women. Both males and females have visible body hair on the head, eyebrows, eyelashes, armpits, genital area, arms, and legs. Males and some females may also have thicker hair growth on their face, abdomen, back, buttocks, anus, areola, chest, nostrils, and ears. Hair does not generally grow on the lips, back of the ear, the underside of the hands or feet, or on certain areas of the genitalia. People remove their hair for cultural, aesthetic, hygienic, sexual, medical, or religious reasons. Forms of hair removal have been practiced in almost all human cultures since at least the Neolithic era. The methods used to remove hair have varied in different times and regions.

The term "depilation" is derived from the Medieval Latin "depilatio," which in turn is derived from the Latin "depilare," a word formed from the prefix "de-" and the root "pilus," meaning "hair."