By There’s always been a big debate over the permissibility of nail polish and if it interferes with making wudu (ablution) for prayers. As for myself, I’ve always opted not to wear it, except during my period, when I’m not praying.
Let’s face it–it actually makes me look forward to my period a little bit.
But now, for those of us who don’t wear nail polish regularly, there’s all kinds of options on the market for “halal” nail polish, that are not only free of pork products, but water permeable as well.
A new cosmetic line just launched, called Maya Cosmetics. They created a halal, wudu-friendly, cruelty-free, vegan, physician approved nail polish. Ummm, what?! Sign me up!
Sorry, but I cannot contain my excitement. I love nail polish. Like la-la-la-loveeeee nail polish.
I purchased the colors Plumberry, a beautiful dark purple, and Early Grey, a gorgeous grey color.
The application was absolutely perfect. I only used one coat and it is super opaque. It dried quickly too, and let me tell you, this is important to me, because as a mother of two, waiting five or more minutes for nail polish to dry is torture.
Scenario: You’re waiting for your nails to dry, and your toddler is about to knock down a glass of cranberry juice on your brand new Pottery Barn accent chair. You have to make a tough choice in life: Ruin the couch or ruin your nails.
But I digress.
On Maya Cosmetics’ website, the directions state to apply wudu as you normally would but “run nails under water and then rub gently for ten seconds.”
This isn’t the first brand of nail polish that’s wudu-friendly/ water permeable; there’s also Tuesday in Love.
Tuesday in Love has gorgeous colors and the application is gret. Unfortunately, it’s the peelable kind of nail polish, so if you enjoy peeling things like I do–remember how kids in the 90’s used to peel glue off of their hands after it dries and enjoy it? Yes, that type of enjoyable–then this might not work for you, because you will be tempted to peel those babies off soon after they dry. They also carry other cosmetics, like lipsticks and foundations.
Inglot also carries a breathable nail enamel called O2M. . I’ve personally never tried them, but I’ve heard great things about them, although there are mixed reviews when it comes to the water permeability test.
Which “halal” nail polishes have you tried and loved? Tell us!
I’m the same! Looking forward to the one week I can write my work and enjoy looking down at the papers ? Thanks for the review!
You are welcome! Enjoy!
sorry, I not with you. One of the reasons we are not supposed to wear nail polish is the wudu issue, which as i side I think is a bunch of bull, the point of not wearing nail polish is not to draw attention to yyourself which is ultimatley the point of hijab.
Respectfully, I completely disagree. A Muslim woman is allowed to wear henna on her hands and nails. Does this not draw attention? By your argument then a Muslim woman should also not wear henna unless she’s covering her hands with gloves in public.
In the Western world, wearing a hijab draws attention. Should I stop wearing it?
To me everything depends on intention.
Islam is not so strict in my eyes. It’s supposed to be easy and not so difficult. The concept of Inglot O2 nail polishes came when the founder thought of contact lenses which allow permeability. Should I also remove my contacts EVERY time before I do wudu? If the same concept is okay for contacts, then I don’t understand why not the Inglot O2 nail polish.
Everything depends on intentions. If someone wants to beautify themselves for themselves, that’s not a sinful intention. You are allowed to beautify yourself, wear nice clothes and etc.
Would it not be better for someone to wear permeable nail polish and pray their prayers vs. not praying at all because their nail polish is not permeable and wudu is invalid?
At least this gives Muslim women options.
Everyone has their own opinion and I respect that. I’m not saying you must wear this… You don’t have to… But, if someone wants to, let them. Don’t make religion so hard that people run away. It’s not supposed to be so difficult. And we women always tear each other apart.
I’ll be honest I own many bottles of Inglot nail polishes. I’m glad there is an alternative. The truth is I do not wear nail polish all the time. I like having an alternative when I’m able to pray so on special occasions like Eid or weddings or parties I don’t have to keep myself from having to use the bathroom. I’m excited that there’s another brand and having it certified halal makes me very excited. I’m just wary it might just keep peeling off. I tried the other halal brand too, and I did not like it all. The instructions they gave on the Maya cosmetics website for wudu is what I already do with Inglot breathable nail polish.
You’re right at some point. But nail polish is frowned upon because if someone wore nail polish while they they died. It will not be able to be taken off when doing ablution. The dead body will be washed with water not with chemicals. So nail polish cannot be taken off from a dead body.
I know you’re thinking, they can use nail polish remover. But that doesn’t work because the dead body becomes cold, its impossible to remove the chemical then. There is no guarantee what they will do with the dead body.
This is proven by people who do ablution on the dead body. You cant deny that.
So rather use the henna as an alternative since it doesn’t create these problems and its a Sunnah.
I agree or use peelable nail Polish
I’ve tried Inglot O2 breathable nail polishes. It’s my favorite. I bought Tuesday in Love and I did not like them at all. I don’t want to bash them. To each their own. Anyone tried Maya Cometics and Inglot… please tell me if there’s a difference. I want to try but not waste money if it easily chips off way to easily. I would much rather get Maya Cosmetics it’s certified halal vs Inglot if the quality is the same. Inglot has mixed opinions and I’d rather have the same quality with no doubts for ease of mind.
I tried Tuesday in Love, as stated in my review, and didn’t like how it peels. However, I am still wearing the Maya one, which I applied yesterday and there is very minimal chipping!
I’m wearing inglot as I type this and I’m wearing their matte finished ones. The only thing with the Inglot nailpolishes is that you can’t go more than two layers which I don’t like because sometimes even their matte polishes aren’t thick and dark enough. What I like about the Maya brand is that they have a matte topcoat so you can buy three nail polishes but wear them in 6 different ways and get more use out of them. More bank for your buck!
I use to be a manicurist and really missed wearing nail polish. I’ve found there are so many water-permeable nail polishes on the market. There’s LYN, Inglot O2M, Maya, but my all-time favorite is Julep. ??
Is all julep polish water permeable?
Thanks for sharing!
I’ve got many of tuesday in love, because when i tried inglot i realized that it does not let water get in, what i do not like of tuesday is that it peel off so quickly… is this maya staying longer at your nails?
It does so far. I applied it on Saturday night and still going strong. Minimum chipping.
wonderful!
How can one be sure that water is getting through for wudu? That’s my one and only concern.
You can try the filter test that many people have done for Ingot & Tuesday in Love! 🙂
As Aya´s saying i tried aplying on a napking and let it dry, then i scrubbed a drop, tuesday was trully permeable, you will see it, inglot wasn´t.
Did you try the filter test yourself? I’m asking because I just bought 3 colors from Maya and tried the test myself and it didn’t seem to work … water did not permeate through… I don’t know, maybe I did it wrong? Just curious if anyone else has tested Maya themselves.
It worked for me!! I tried the test several times.
Remember Maya’s instructions say to rub the nail polish for 10 secs. Also I made sure my coffee filters did not have any grooves, indentations, etc. as these affect the results.
Beautiful colors…I’m a bit paranoid so I actually did try the test on a coffee filter and…it WORKED! 🙂
You know something that’s never mentioned in these reviews? How expensive these are! I mean, it’s a specialty product, and I get that. But….fifteen or twenty dollars on a bottle of nail polish??? With my babysitting money? I might as well hire my sisters to remove my non permeable nail polish every salat time, loool!!
Maya water permeable test video here!! https://www.facebook.com/mayacosmetics1/videos/2062975213927519
Hi just asking, do you remove the Maya nail polishes like other nail polishes with the remover or is it peelable?
its not peelable. You need to use nail polish remover.
I would prefer peelable over non peelable . Better to peel it before making wadu
Here’s one of Tuesday in Love’s videos of their permeability test against inglot.
https://youtu.be/5SWww5H4nKo
Don’t be tricked. These nail polishes have different results depending on what it is being tested on which means that its the material being tested on is what determines permeability not the nail polish itself in these tests. Example: My test of a water permeable nail polish tested on a piece of regular paper vs on a teabag paper/coffee filter showed contradictory results. The teabag paper/coffee filter is like a net which means that water goes through the holes and it doesn’t matter what type of paint you paint the net with. Also in some instances water could mean water vapor that is already makes up 4% of air, it doesn’t necessarily wet the area under the nail polish. Tested it yourself but correctly with positive (no nail polish) and negative control (regular impermeable nail polish) and don’t test on coffee filters
Yeah but Maya is actually certified by different scholars. I’m sure they did their due diligence.
Additionally, I went to one of their exhibits and actually tested their nail polish vs. other brands. Maya actually worked, unlike the other brands.
This polish is another scam like inglot.. If you leave the water drop sitting on the polish it doesn’t go through. Rubbing the polish only creates an abrasion in the surface (in other words you’re making a hole in the paper). The so called “scholars” who are issuing these certifications aren’t chemists and are being tricked as well. We all need to do our research first before deciding what is and isn’t Halal.
Biggest thing to think about girls is if it is really worth it to take the chance that this actually will work. Everybodys prayer is their own but to say something is wudu friendly i believe it is misleading for people. Not everytime its 100% permeable as people have had different results, so that in essence would make wudu tough to keep with this. Allah knows best but if it was my choice, i rather do wudu without using this knowing i dont have to worry about this. Salaam ?
Tuesday in Love just released this new video of their non peelable nail polish against Maya… interesting comparison. I wasn’t always a fan of their peelable kind, but it makes me wonder how legit the maya brand really is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZheLNnxbTg
Asalamoalaikum,
I’m a chemical engineering grad student and I decided to have a look at this polish. I think there are a lot of people being misled here. When they do the permeability test and start rubbing the water drop, what’s actually happening is that they’re rubbing away the fibers of the napkin (basically creating tiny holes in it). This is known as “abrasion”. Technically if you rubbed almost any nail polish on a napkin or coffee filter hard enough you can force water drops to go through it because you’ve burnt a hole through it with your finger. This of course will not work on your nails, and hence no amount of water will go through.
What bothers me the most about these kinds of companies is that somehow they’re getting these so called Imams and scholars who have absolutely no science or medical background to validate their claims wihtout any proper scientific knowledge. And in the US, cosmetics are hardly regulated and hence you’ll find enormous amounts of toxins, parabens, and dangerous chemicals in them.
I strongly and humbly advise my sisters buying these products to do your research. If you’re not sure – ASK! And ask the right people. If your local Imam doesn’t know the difference between an oxygen molecule and hydrogen molecule, then chances are he has no idea about the science behind any of these experiments. Demand a valid answer from these companies and don’t fall for any of their marketing traps unless you are 100% satisfied with their response.
I sincerely hope that my comments have not offended anyone, I’m only looking out for my sisters in Islam and want to share my knowledge with them. I love you all 🙂
Salaams Sister! And Jazak’Allah Khair for the comment! In regards to the napkin undergoing abrasion however, isn’t the main point that the water has to go through the nail polish, and not coffee filter or napkin? –> Because they are trying to show that the nail polish is “breathable”?
Salam alalaikom sis so mayas nail polish it’s not wudu friendly? Because I did the permeability test myself and the water didn’t came through
Jzk
Assalaamu alaikom Sisters,
Above all the controversy there is another thing which is very important to me personally. Of course I don’t judge anyone and Allah is the Most Merciful, so this is my personal experience and choices. I wrote long so I just pray you don’t judge till you will have read through – if you so decide..and I thank you jazaakumAllahu khayran for your time and reading.
I am a new Muslimah alhamdulillah – but not too new to have an opinion (almost 10 years). Reason I’m saying it is that I used to wear and use all kinds of cosmetics before and had a rainbow of nail polish colors. I gave them up and don’t feel never felt anything missing. But yes : reason I am here of course proves I was researching the “halal nail polish” topic. And I thought it would look better for us but even knowing that it is about rubbing and not properly confirmed by persons knowledgeable both in the cosmetic industry and chemistry as well as fiqh, I am glad I came here and read other Sisters’ comments. They helped me a lot and I thank you Sisters.❤️
Ah – while we are at the “contact lens” mechanism which is being repeatedly used as a comparing and illustration of how this nail polish allegedly works. I have been wearing contacts for 20 + years. My eyes are now so sensitive I got the most breathable lenses possible in the world. I have spoken openly with my optometrist and also ophthalmologists about my concern how it works for ablution. Alhamdulillah living in a multicultural multifaith city they have extensive knowledge and were prepared to answer my question right away. As there are many many Muslimahs coming who wear contacts of all sorts.
So I am sorry to disappoint but : WATER DOES NOT PERMEATE CONTACT LENSES THE WAY IT IS PICTURED HERE IN THIS AD. Eyes breathe – and air can access eyes both ways depending on which contact lenses and how permeable..but as for water and humidity – nope. Some may get through but generally not – in any case I got a straight answer : it is incorrect to assume that any contact lenses would allow much of water permeability. They are more flexible and feel humid = there is more water and saline content in them but this does not mean that there is water going through the lens and to the eyeball. Water is in the lens already, they breathe to an extent, some liquid will get through, and that’s it. The answer I got was very clear : from medical point of view not suitable for wudu if the premise is that water has to touch my eyes. The doctors were not even Muslim to say it with all certitude and show me how a contact lens breathes and what happens with water. I am wearing the thinnest most permeable lenses and I do remove them for wudu and salaat and put on glasses instead. This was my Chinese doctor’s advice when I explained wudu and he said he knows wudu and said his advice is definitely if I wanna be sure that water has accessed my eyes, I have to remove my lenses for the time of wudu. I can put them right back for salaat, but he said : wudu if I want water to touch my all face including eyes (the Prophetic way of wudu), then if I want this, contact lenses won’t let water through to consider it a valid wudu. This doctor has worked with Muslim patients for over 30 years.
Back to the point : because most of us do not know how exactly our contact lenses work, have not seen a demo on a molecular level what happens with particles touching the lens, we assume that if we put hydrating drops they go through the lens 100% and we assume the lens is so breathable because we feel comfy in it so it means air circulated freely. It does but in a limited way and water even more limited. A contact lens is a foreign body that covers our eyeball. Let’s just not take chances.
So, to use the argument that nail polish was made based on contact lens technology is..well..it is not an argument for me. Sadly most of us are uninformed and buy it.
Just the rubbing of nails for whatever it said, 10 seconds, is enough to seem like a contradiction of what is claimed about the free access of air and water “as if through a contact lens” (which I have just tried to explain is not correct to begin with).
AND ALLAH KNOWS BEST.
Also, I feel my wudu would be changed if I add rubbing of my nails – it is not a part of wudu so when am I supposed to do it to make sure that water really touches my nails during wudu ? It seems too complicated to take a chance as far as I am concerned.
Personally, I have opted out of using nail polish except French and on a big occasion ans which I remove completely before salaat..so pretty much one day a year I do it..otherwise, I do not use nail polish and it came as obvious to me and really easy.
Reason?
Even if these were halal beyond doubt, I still couldn’t bring myself to wearing it in salaat.
In salaat I stand before Allah the Lord of All Worlds. I stand in purity and humility. I am a beggar for His Mercy. I am bringing my du’as and I am seeking His Firgiveness. I recite His ayaat.
So I just cannot stand before Allah Who is the King of all Worlds and feel I am embodying purity and all that is humble if my nails were painted some flashy color or even plain color but not sure if my wudu is valid. I dress simple and modest to the maximum for salaat, and to me personally, any nail polish would make me feel as if I am decorating too much, as if arrogance – if we recall the Hadeeth that even an abaya too long is an expression of riyâ, then we would maybe think more about nail polish.
But I know that Allah looks at our soul in Salaat not at our nails so if my Sisters wear nail polish please don’t think I am judging. Your prayer may be better than mine and readily accepted and Allah knows and I don’t know. I am just speaking of my reasons as to why I do what I do, what my intention is. And my intention is to make that my looks mirror my status before Allah as that of a humble servant as best as possible and so I actually don’t wear one of the rings I have which is large : i don’t feel well with it, it seems too flashy – and I just wanna be simple and clean..it also helps me to focus on those Muslims for whom I make du’as after : those who cannot even think of a shiny ring or nail polish, who are striving to feed their children..I just often feel guilty to use too much of this or that because I wish I can do more charity..and so nail polish permeability is such a minor thing when I look at the Rohyngias..so I skip nail polish..
But Sisters there is nothing wrong in wearing it. As I mentioned : this comment is here because I wanted to share my own personal life choices about beauty and cosmetics..and such. I wanted to do it from my perspective because it is more focused on Aakhirah and maybe will help simplify some choices for some Sisters. I would never intend to impose anything and I am not trying to. In fact it took courage to share my personal ways. So please have mercy for me to not criticize me either as I am not criticizing anyone and my intention is good and is to help see the issue from another perspective. With a practical solution for shiny nails at the end.☺️????????
I agree with what my Sisters here are saying about all these rather questionable “tests” for halal-ability. And one thing I would like to add and in fact I would like to scream it in the face of this manufacrers selling you ugly colors for $50, with the questionable “halal” licence – it seems anyone can issue one : the bodies mentioned in the article are all local and not known to me as any authority in halal licensing.
We may as well make better colors and have them Halal-certified by a local MSA. 😉 ????
(Sorry had to put this one above here it is not mockery it’s Smile and Smile is sunnah! also I put it here for another reason : Sisters, please don’t fall for the “halal” word / label too easily..nowadays anyone can claim anything is halal and we are especially vulnerable if we don’t do our homework and research..so one Imam said this nail polish is halal..it surprises me that one or two people can have the courage to carry the responsibility for all the hundreds and thousands of women who following their “certificate” start using this product..so I said it’s just as good as having an MSA vote on it and certify it..not mockery, just mini-comparison of how serious the licence seems to me..would you buy it if it was MSA-certified from your local university?..of course no! but we are willing to buy when scholars without “teachnical” expertise in chemistry and science do certify it halal. Just some food for thought.)
Another thing I wanted to write about is also personal sharing to inshaAllah inspire my Sisters to find their own stance about it all or reaffirm the one they have.
Personally, as for colors, I truly don’t even like hijaab mixed with lipstick and nail polish. I know..????????and I’m sorry..I don’t judge. A bit of a natural shade is ok, but not an overdose of all. I know : I am conservative with it but please know – and I’ll say again : I don’t judge : this is me and i personally would not do it. Others do it and actually some can do it pretty well and classy. It was just the pic featuring the ad for Orly teaming up with the other company, if anyone has taken a good look at this one, it looks like they don’t know if they wanna portray a Muslimah or a non-Muslimah and the intermediate artsy combo that results is more like neither one nor the other, and making a joke out of proper Hijaab : none of the women even has an abaya????..so : you mean abayah-wearing women don’t use beauty products?..if we wanna portray diversity, it is ok to include one woman in abaya and real nice scarf as hijaab among the 5 or more other women they featured who are wearing rags, basketball cap and tight pants..what if someone is past the page of 15 and professional?..the idea was good but it failed to appeal to a wide audience while it had the chance to..it is clearly addressing a certain subculture and not one model looks like she is going to the Masjid..but the nail polish is supposed to be fit for wudu..so marketing-wise whoever made this pic has missed the mark..not everyone dresses this way and the art director would have made a huge impact with adding a niqabee (yup!! I wear a niqaab but have crazy clothes and nice lot of make up to play with at home), plus it would have been a nice punch to add a niqabee to the pic because we too love to look beautiful..instead of 5 or more models dressed the same I wish there was a niqabee and a stylishmodern Muslimah with nice classy and sassy clothes and coloured hijab matching her nail polish..it would look really cool and inclusive among the totally sporty-ragged clothes other models wear here..but both the pic and the nail polish colors fit a certain style only and it is more relaxed and party than professional..to sum up : if this is all the nail polish culture has to offer for Muslim women, then I don’t want it..certainly not appealing to my modesty-oriented and classic French feminine look. If any nail work, I’d do a French mani with normal products on the rather short nails I have and just remove it totally before salaat. I’d do it only on special occasions but once I do a French I make sure it’s super classy and that I don’t leave my home with it even though I wear gloves. Just because of salaat. It means more to me than all this Dunya.
And it is so sad to see how more and more of us are falling for what these manufacturers are doing..they are doing exactly what we have been warned against : that Shaytaan will beautify to us some things which are not good to this point that even not good will seem to us so beautiful and good, and to this point that we may even not see it is wrong anymore but see the wrong and ugly as beautiful..(please again see the Orly front pic, it has something totally scary in it)..
..and Allah has warned us in the Qur’an : this world is a deception.
..and the Prophetﷺ told us to leave that which is doubtful for the sake of that which is sure.
I don’t know what else is there to debate about..as for me it’s simple : no time for this, and this long comment is for the sake of whoever may benefit – in midst of debating about chemistry of these ugly colors and how rubbing water works, we forgot perhaps something more important : is this for our good to go around painted flashy shades if we don’t even believe we can perform a valid wudu with this?..I’d accept if yes, no doubt we can perform a valid wudu..then to each their own : if some Sisters like bold colors, it is up to them – just as I don’t wanna be judged for what I dress like I will never judge anyone else but I will warn about this tricky stuff such as the deception of the Dunya and how the uncertainty of how this nail polish works may be just a manifestation of this deception of the Dunya : as women we love – and rightly so – to beautify ourselves..so companies have a big field to explore here and it is definitely happening so I want my Sisters to think and choose wisely. May Allah make it easy upon all of us and guide us to that which is right..aameen.
PS. It is just too much of an unregulated blurry area and with no knowledgeable Muslim scholars in the cosmetics/chemistry field.
I will
Share my own way and please feel welcome to copy :
I care to eat healthy because beauty is from within. This means also sleep and pray, etc. Sink lots of healthy fluids. Exercise. It all will show in overall health and the health of the nails.
As for nails : I choose to polish my nails with a variety of good soft sponge files and other tools so they shine as if covered with a layer of transparent polish, and just to keep them looking clean and healthy, and to make them shine natural glow. And invest in good nail, cuticle and hand care. To apply good nourishing cream on buffed nails gives a beautiful shine like no nail polish can imitate. It just looks natural and healthy. And you can pray anytime. I teach Qur’an so another thing for me is to always be in wudu : as personal choice and also because of what I do as well as for my personal desire to be able to reach for and read the Qur’an at any given moment. Also, our souls will be presented to Allah in the state in which they were taken..and we will be resurrected in the state in which we died – and I want to be in purity when I meet Allah. So I prefer to keep wudu always. In this case debating over nail polish is not worth it for me.????????????????♀️????????????
I am sending tons of love and du’as for all my Sisters in Islam and my Sisters in Humanity of other faiths who may be reading this as well..assalaamu alaikom warahmatullahi wabarakatu -ليلى????