Growing out hair vs extentions

So i have been growing out my hair for about a year and it is about this length as you see in the picture to the left but i want it grow even more.
I want to grow it out to the the length you see in the picture below. But i also want that full long effect. The problem is most of the time when that look is achieved on celebrities or models its due to hair extensions. I like that hair the bet when its achieved by natural hair. It looks better in high school i really wanted to do hair extensions but i never did because its expensive. The more i got older the more glad i was that i did not get extensions. Because i have learned that it can thin your hair out. I do have a lot of hair and i do not want to thin it out by using extensions. The only problem with natural hair is it takes a long time to grow. So that can get irritating. I do not know how safe clip on extensions are. If they are safe i may try those for the days when i want to tease up my hair and have it big and full. The thing about your hair being teased and curled it makes your hair appear shorter. If your hair is flat ironed and parted down the middle your hair will appear longer. If i used Bobbie pins and did a pumped in my hair it will still look shorter. That is why i am having this natural hair vs extensions argument. I think i should be patient and wait it out but man its hard, but in the end growing out my hair will pay off. But than again there is the saying don't knock it till you try it but i do not know if i want to waist my time and ruin my hair.