Q270: Is Wudhu valid with having gel on hair or beard?

Question

If you put gel in hair or beard then when you do masah of head or wash face, khilal of beard, is it sufficient to just do it normaly or do you have to wash all the gel out before you start wudhu?

Answer

Gel is like a coating which covers the hair in the same way that henna (mehendi) covers the hair. Therefore, because it is so thick, when one does masah, water does not come into contact with the hair itself. This is because it forms a plastic-like barrier which prevents the water to touch the actual hair and so therefore the masah will be void. In order for the masah to be correct, one must wash all the hair of the head and the beard entirely of the gel so that water can touch the hair, otherwise, the masah will not be valid.

Student of Darul Ifta. Checked and approved by Shaykh Abdur Raheem Sahib.