This is an excerpt from the article, which mentioned two different nail polish companies. I firmly believe that the new scientific discovery only applies to the first nail polish called 02M, by Inglot Cosmetics, and does NOT apply to the latter:
"Inglot Cosmetics, a company from Poland, has a nail polish called O2M that it calls “breathable,” meaning that it allows oxygen and moisture to penetrate to the nail. This makes the polish something of an anomaly, since most brands don’t make this claim.
The Inglot nail polish, which borrows a polymer used in some contact lenses, comes in more than 45 hues, including unconventional ones like teal. The target audience? A woman who wears nail polish more often than not. “Traditional nail polish, wearing it day by day, week by week, isn’t necessarily healthy,” said Wojtek Inglot, the company founder."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/fashion/22SkinOne.html?_r=2
I called Inglot Cosmetics and verified some information. A representative was kind enough to answer some of my questions. She said, "Scientifically, water VAPOR penetrates to the nail but actual water "drops" do not penetrate." I asked what is the difference between water and water vapor (in the company's opinion). She responded, "Water vapor is a different state/phase of matter than water in liquid form. In (water) liquid form, atoms have many nearest neighbors in contact, yet no long-range order is present and volume is usually greater. Where as, water vapor consists of the same molecules but the spaces between the molecules are very big. Water vapor molecules have very weak or no bonds at all. The molecules in "vapor" can move freely and fast. Essentially, the biggest difference between water and water vapor is that the amount of molecules differs, water has more and water vapor has less."
(I hope that I wrote down everything verbatim, but if anyone knows any differently about this process please feel free to correct me.)
Note: I have not called the company Butter, so if anyone wants to do independent research on that please feel free to. I am only posting in regards to Inglot Cosmetics' 02M nail polish.
I contacted a local imaam that is very knowledgeable, masha'Allah. This is what he had to say:
"As Salam alaikum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh[ I responded with this:]
In the time of the Messenger of Allah (salla Allah alaih wa sallam), there was no nail polish, so it was not mentioned explicitly. Later generations mentioned things like wudu not being valid if you had dried up flour on a part of the body that needed to be washed or anything else that prevented water from reaching the skin.
At the same time, washing has been defined as at least one or two drops dripping from the limb being washed i.e. the limb in its entirety has to be wetted and at least one or two drops have to drip from somewhere on the limb.
Now the question is: Does the description of water vapor permeability of the nail polish fulfill the above requirements? Remember, the website claims water vapor permeates, not the water itself.
There is room for debate, and I do feel inclined to its permissibility?"
"Assalam Alaikum,[Imam's final response:]
Jazaka'Allah khair for all the help and guidance. I just wanted to follow up, I did call the company and they gave me a breakdown of how it really works. They said that the nails are not completely submerged into water, however water vapor reaches it. I asked what the difference between water vapor and water is just to be specific. And they responded by saying, "Water and water vapor is the same thing, except there is a difference in the quantity of the tiny water molecules. For example, water has thousands of the same tiny water molecules, where as water vapor has a lesser quantity of them." I also asked how "water vapor" was reaching the nail and they said that it's a new technology that allows the vapor to reach the nail, which is called K2S. I also googled the exact definition of limbs, and I would imagine that drops of water would still drip since the entire arm is considered a limb. I guess I'm just trying to double check myself. But, this is the information I retrieved from the company, so I guess the question I have is....is water vapor reaching the nail still validate wudhu?
I'm sorry in advance if my email sounds confusing. "
"Have you tried Henna? That is allowed.
As far as the nail polish is concerned, I guess you can use it, but it would be closer to taqwa to refrain until a more water permeable option is available."
So, there you have it folks, it depends on your Taqwa! I couldn't have said it better. May Allah SWT forgive me for any incorrect information I may have passed along.
