I would like to go natural but I am just concerned that my hair would look more like an afro?

And yes I know that is inevitably what my hair would come out to look like and I would be okay with that; I come from a long line of pure African people (meaning pure African hair) and I have a feeling that when I go natural my hair would look like an Afro, but how could i get loose, yet thick curls could my hair come out that way also what kind of products should I use. I'm just tired of relaxers I need a change. Be mindful that i'm still in high school and pretty conscious about how my hair looks. check out this picture to get an idea of the kind of hair i'm talking about... http://www.motowngirl.com/images/articles/myths.jpg