Whether you’re a man or a woman, you’ve come to accept the human body is capable of growing hair in the most unexpected places. Body hair sprouts from your ears to even the most intimate body parts — your genitals. With hair removal and grooming becoming a popular personal practice, should you really shave down there or go au naturale?

In the latest video, “Should You Shave Your Pubes?,” AsapSCIENCE explains how the human body first came to retain hair. Around 70,000 to 120,000 years after the Ice Age, humans lost most of their body hair, but still had generous amounts in the armpits and on the genitals. This is the only mammalian species in the world to have long, coarse pubic hair.

Researchers have hypothesized several theories about hair’s evolutionary purpose. Some believe pubic hair sprouts after puberty as a visual signal to a potential partner that one is ready to mate.Another theory is that the hair protects genitalia from friction during sexual intercourse.

Other theories suggest humans have evolved to retain these hairs to trap pheromones, that are wafted in the direction of potential mates. This is supported by the fact that women release different pheromones during ovulation, signaling fertility, in order to become more attractive to others. Despite its potential purpose, a study of over 1,000 students in America found 96 percent of females and 87 percent of males have either partially or completely removed public hair within the past month.

Those who choose to groom their nether regions will attest to the regrowth of hair that can be irritating to the skin. In fact, 75 percent of people who shave their pubes have experienced genital itching and 40 percent have experienced a rash of some sort. The absence of pubic hair due to shaving has also been directly linked to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including gonorrhea, chlamydia and HPV infections.

Pubic hair removal is not an easy feat. According to AsapSCIENCE, the most common genital injuries reported in American emergency rooms are a direct consequence of shaving your pubes.

Going au naturale seems like the safest option, but if you choose to wax or shave, take precautions and practice good hygiene.