el keeps growing her hair out, and haircuts are a very emotional thing for her. she lets joyce trim the dead ends off, but it’s difficult every time. then she meets one of will’s art school friends and their hair is dyed purple. it reminds el of how kali’s hair looked when she was younger, and she immediately asks will to help her dye her own hair. they get box dye from the drug store and stain their apartment sink purple, and el falls in love with the way it looks. after that she’s obsessed with dyeing her hair fun colors, and haircuts don’t feel scary either, because she understands that it’s her hair and she’s choosing what to do with it.

























