Lather, rinse, repeat
Encyclopedia
Lather, rinse, repeat is a phrase that is a common part of the instructions on shampoo
bottles. It is sometimes also used as a humorous way of saying that a certain set of instructions should be repeated until an explicit or implicit goal is reached, or as sardonic commentary on some people's practice of taking descriptions, instructions or expressions literally and without common sense. Often the phrase is shortened to simply "Rinse and repeat".
The found humor
inherent in the phrase is that the instructions, if taken literally, tell the user to lather
their hair, rinse the shampoo off, then repeat the process—but they do not say when to stop this cycle. In theory, a person could conceivably keep washing and rinsing their hair forever (or until they ran out of shampoo) as they repeated the instructions over and over. On the other hand, a person using common sense
would consider that the word repeat does not refer to itself, but only to the two preceding steps, so the instructions actually mean to repeat the process exactly once, for a total of two washings.
Something else to be considered is the (usually) more appropriate ordering of the phrase, "rinse, lather, repeat," as hair is rinsed before lathered with shampoo, as well as after. However, the reordering of these instructions would leave shampoo in the hair after the cycle stops for failure to include the final 'rinse'.
In the book The Plagiarist by Benjamin Cheever
, an advertising executive increases the sales of his client's shampoo by introducing the word "REPEAT" to its instructions.
Shampoo
Shampoo is a hair care product used for the removal of oils, dirt, skin particles, dandruff, environmental pollutants and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair...
bottles. It is sometimes also used as a humorous way of saying that a certain set of instructions should be repeated until an explicit or implicit goal is reached, or as sardonic commentary on some people's practice of taking descriptions, instructions or expressions literally and without common sense. Often the phrase is shortened to simply "Rinse and repeat".
The found humor
Found art
The term found art—more commonly found object or readymade—describes art created from undisguised, but often modified, objects that are not normally considered art, often because they already have a non-art function...
inherent in the phrase is that the instructions, if taken literally, tell the user to lather
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
their hair, rinse the shampoo off, then repeat the process—but they do not say when to stop this cycle. In theory, a person could conceivably keep washing and rinsing their hair forever (or until they ran out of shampoo) as they repeated the instructions over and over. On the other hand, a person using common sense
Common sense
Common sense is defined by Merriam-Webster as, "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts." Thus, "common sense" equates to the knowledge and experience which most people already have, or which the person using the term believes that they do or should have...
would consider that the word repeat does not refer to itself, but only to the two preceding steps, so the instructions actually mean to repeat the process exactly once, for a total of two washings.
Something else to be considered is the (usually) more appropriate ordering of the phrase, "rinse, lather, repeat," as hair is rinsed before lathered with shampoo, as well as after. However, the reordering of these instructions would leave shampoo in the hair after the cycle stops for failure to include the final 'rinse'.
In the book The Plagiarist by Benjamin Cheever
Benjamin Cheever
Benjamin Hale Cheever is an American writer and editor. He is the son of writer John Cheever and brother of Susan Cheever...
, an advertising executive increases the sales of his client's shampoo by introducing the word "REPEAT" to its instructions.