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I have curly hair myself and tend to keep it short-ish. I can still run my fingers through my hair, with about 2cm left over the top.
Best advice I can give you is to avoid letting your hair grow past your ears. Leave it short on the sides and have it somewhat 'rounded' and even all over, to avoid having a mushroom cut.
As for curly hair maintenance, go for creams that boost curls. Also, leave in conditioners and treatments will make your hair look bouncy and decent.
This is the only picture I could find which somewhat shows what I'm talking about.