Depilatories (Lat. depilo, 'I pull out the hair') are chemical agents employed for removing superfluous hair from the skin. They were extensively used by the ancients, but are now restricted in their employment to the face, and to the removal of the hair from the scalp in the treatment of certain diseases. They should only be used under medical advice.
Depilatories
Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 3: Catarrh to Dion, p. 765
Source scan(s): p. 0778