Oh geez
So I just realized something about Howl’s Moving Castle.
It wasn’t just vanity that made Howl freak out about his hair. It was possibly also psychological abuse from his mentor Madam Sulliman.
We can see this most profoundly during her scene when she is surrounded by her pages. Look familar? Yeah she’s surrounded by mini Howl’s. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I think they all have the same hair by her design. She’s so obsessed with perfection that she makes them dye their hair to meet her standards. Pretty harsh lady.
In earlier scenes you can see that Howl trims his hair into the exact same hairstyle and this is the point when he acts the most pleased with his appearance. He’s probably been conditioned to think that is what a successful wizard looks like. So when Sophie messes with it she’s unpacking all that baggage he has of being a failure and a screw up.
It’s only after Sophie stands up for him that I think he’s really able to let that go and just be himself with his natural hair. Overall it’s a nice visual detail that really ties the narrative together. An excellent example of visual backstory.