How do I ask my au pair to wash her hair???

[MiddleAgedMother]

That's it really. But it's seriously greasy, I thought it was wet!
She is very sweet, 19, but I have no idea how to approach it.
Older DC commenting on it too just not yet to her.
Thought she had yesterday but then it didn't dry so not..........

I wonder if she used a dry shampoo when it got less greasy...

She obviously showers if doesn't smell

Was her hair like this at interview?

Sounds like she could be self cleaning and not washing hair for 6 weeks /refuses your shampoo etc

What hours does she work? Are they long? She might be very tired at the end of the day and doesn't have the energy to wash and dry her hair. There's many a time that I've just thought " I'm too tired tonight will do it tomorrow" when I've finished looking after my DC for the day.

If it doesn't smell then its none of your business. If it was really dirty then it would smell. Do you realise that a nanny is an employee like any other? You don't own her. You wouldn't be told how often to wash your hair in an office, so why should a nanny be told? Maybe you should let her go rather than hurt her feelings about this. A good, sweet nanny as you've described her will get a new job easily. Then you will be able to get someone who meets your standards of perfection - or not. If you confront her, hopefully she will tell you to shove off and start packing her bags.

Harsh, in many jobs you are expected to maintain certain levels of appearance. I work in an office and I'd be disciplined if I regularly went to work with greasy hair because I'm client facing. My employer quite rightly doesn't want to be represented by people who look scruffy or unclean. Even when I worked at a supermarket I was expected to have clean, tidy hair.

It's been over 2 weeks since op posted - so what did you do?

Said water in our area was soooo hard, it needs lots of shampoo to get really clean.
Offered to buy some of her favourite shampoo as she'd run through it rather more quickly.

Oblivious........

Her hair will self clean eventually and end up beautiful and glossy. Maybe that's why it's starting to look less greasy... it's on the turn already...

Loudly, while reminding her it's in her contract to look presentable.

shortly after amending her contract

I have worked as a nursery nurse and part of my contract of employment included hygeine and presentation. We had to look clean and tidy, wear our hair appropriately (Not extreme hairstyles etc) and keep our nails short and clean. I have also been a student nurse. On the day we got our uniform we had a lecture about presentation and hygeine. Clean and ironed uniform, clean short nails and naturally coloured clean and tidy hair. I will bet that she also will have been told that as she is representing the agency, she will have been told the same. If I had ever turned up to work with dirty and/or greasy looking hair, I would've expected to be pulled up on it. You are well within your rights to contact the agency, if you are not happy with any aspect of her presentation. (Being a nanny is absolutely setting an example to your charges). Of course this would be unfair and the only option is a quick chat, to the point, stating that her hair looks greasy and you would like her to keep it clean.

A friend when I was a teenager - younger than 19 - had awful sticky greasy hair. I didn't like to broach it with her because it was clear she was self- conscious about it so never found out why, but she also sweated like mad as well.

I've seen her a couple of times recently and she no longer had greasy hair or smells sweaty, so it was obviously some kind of hormonal thing. She certainly used to wash when we were teens!

I know a couple of people have already me runner thus possibility but please do be sensitive to the possibility that it's something she is self conscious about.

Mentioned this possibility*