Don't think that because you have 4c hair that your hair can't grow, it definitely can. It just depends on how you take care of it. I have 4c hair too and it seemed like my hair couldn't grow but that was because I had tight hairstyles, dry hair, and didn't wash my hair as much as I should. Also, you can look into hair stretching, it's a non damaging way to lengthen your hair. So I recommend going/staying natural, taking care of your hair, and not changing your curl pattern. If you really want to retain length, I'd recommend mini locs, they're easy to manage and are super cute after the ugly phase. And to cover your forehead, doing your edges can help or curly bangs when your hair is longer.