I'm 75, and had those "Shirley Temple" curls naturally. When my hair grew longer, Mom would wrap my hair around her fingers and hold the curl with bobby pins. I was 10 before she let me have my hair "trimmed". After she stopped making those curls (thank heavens), it was years before my hair stopped splitting into curls on their own. As I grew older (and grayer) my natural curls have given way to waves. But, as you can see from my avatar picture, I keep it short.
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to you.