How do you like to style your short natural hair?

I am gonna color my hair. So I have been natural since I was 16. Well that was the last time I had chemical straigtener. Anyhoo I chopped colored chopped and now I am just at a crossroads I was big on doing extensions I love mixing it up. And I do them myself so that is great for showing my work. But now I don t even want to wear extensions that match my texture ex. Crochet braids. I see some really cute styles and yea that is great but tbh it is so lame how when I wear extensions my compliment meter goes way up and opposed to when I don t wear extensions. Which is my main purpose of stopping wearing them. Now usually everyone is all like "your so pretty" "omg you look great" "where are you from" and then when I wear extensions "wow you re sexy" "what are you mixed with" "wow is that your hair" anyways my point is wearing extensions makes me feel like I am less attractive without them so I have ditched them totally. And this last salon I went to they keep saying I have to cut my ends every four weeks so whenever my hair gets past my neck they are saying trim time. They did that twice and now idk so any other naturals have you expirienced this how do you slay your natural without being annoyed by outside influences.