my girl has a cotton coat too and honestly its a pain in the butt to keep long. I shave her very short when it starts to get warm and continue to do that throughout the summer. Then in september/october i start to let her grow out a little. I don't let her go longer then 2 inches most of the time in the winter. But 2 inches on her is 2 inches of poof, not 2 inches of hair that lays down flat like it should. I have to comb her every day when its this length or longer or she WILL mat. its hard work keeping a cotton coat long. I have not found that miracle product that does wonders on her coat, and believe me, i've tried many. right now i'm using Espree products on her
Also i go through her entire body with both the #000 and #006 CC buttercombs (
Combs & Handles) depending on the length of her hair. I also use a pin brush (metal or wood) from here
Pin Brushes . Never brush or comb a dry coat. use a leave in conditioner/detangling spray like CC Ice on Ice to protect the coat from damage.
Here is Morgan right now. Her body is about 1in long and her legs are 2 1/2 in long. She is being kept in a modified schnauzer clip