Why does the author of A Girl Named Zippy spend considerable time describing her hair?

She believes that how she looks is important to the story.
She is trying to figure out how to fix her hair properly.
She wants to show how difficult it is to have unruly hair.
She wants to show an important part of her childhood identity.

The author of A Girl Named Zippy spends considerable time describing her hair because she wants to show an important part of her childhood identity.