...before cutting?

If you are colouring your hair at home, then you can colour before you cut or vice versa because the colour that you are using (box colour like Loreal Couleur Experte, etc.) is meant to be used all at one time. Box home colour and salon colour are two different products all together. There really is no comparison, except that they both go on clean, dry hair. Salon colour has more pigment, creating a richer colour on the client. Also, it's easily customizable and a good colourist will be able to create special colour formulas for clients that want a colour that no one else has.

The colour used at the salon is more concentrated than a home box colour therefore, only a little bit, depending on hair length and thickness, is used at a time. If you go to any given salon that does colour services, you may see that at their colour bar, there will be colour tubes that have been used. They are not contaminated and the colour is as vibrant and fresh as ever. Colour tubes are saved until the product has been completely used. At $8-$9+ per box/tube, colour is definitely not something that a stylist would want to waste.

So, if you are going to a salon, a stylist will cut a client's hair first and then colour to the cut. It doesn't make sense, especially financially, to colour before cutting since you would be wasting colour (and money).

Also, from a design standpoint, you wouldn't get the look that you want because the colour may or may not be in the right place, especially if you are getting multidimensional colour.

It would not take "too" long to do a cut and colour service on a client. First, the stylist will shampoo and condition the client's hair. Then, blow dry, colour, rinse and style. The client is paying for the service to be done correctly and this is the manner in which is it done.

If you would like your hair to stay healthy and achieve your desired colour, it would be better to go to a salon. It may cost more, but it's worth it. Stylists are trained to be haircare specialists, maintaining the health of the hair and scalp first before any other extras like haircolour. So whenever possible, try and book an appointment. You won't regret it.

I don't know what you should do, but everytime I get my hair cut and colored they always do the coloring first.