Knot A Problem

Poppy seems to have a bit of a hairdresser phobia. She's always hated having her haircut (hence the length) but recent conversations regarding haircuts have resulted in her becoming hysterical. We are very keen for her to have her hair cut because it has started to get horrendously knotty in the last few weeks. It's almost turning to dreadlocks and when it does, it involves a lot of combing, oiling and tears to untangle it.
D spent almost an hour combing the knots out after we went swimming this afternoon. We've resorted to conditioner, hair oil and plaits until we can get an appointment for a trim...