Short answer
No. Regular nail polish forms a waterproof layer, so water cannot reach the nail and your wudu and ghusl are not valid until you take it off. You may wear it after wudu and pray, but once your wudu breaks you must remove it. Henna is fine because it only colours. The four schools agree.
Washing the whole of each wudu limb is fard, and anything that stops water reaching the skin or nail, such as nail polish, waterproof makeup or glue, makes wudu invalid. Colour that leaves no layer, like henna, does not.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Wudu (ablution) is only valid if water reaches every part of the limbs that must be washed. A man once made wudu and left a spot the size of a fingernail dry on his foot. The Prophet ﷺ told him to go back and do his wudu properly. The four schools agree that a barrier on a wudu limb makes wudu invalid.
What blocks water and what does not:
- Blocks: regular nail polish, gel nails, acrylic or press-on nails, waterproof mascara, thick foundation that sits as a layer, paint, glue, wax.
- Does not block: henna, hair dye that only colours, normal moisturiser or oil that soaks in, ink stains, and light powder makeup that does not form a film.
You can make wudu, then apply nail polish and pray as many prayers as you like until your wudu breaks. After that, remove it before your next wudu. Some women save polish for the days of their period.
"Breathable" or "halal" nail polish: many Hanafi scholars say it is not enough that a brand claims to let air or water through; water must actually reach the nail in a normal wudu. Some tests show it does not. Ask a qualified mufti before relying on a specific product.
If you find a barrier after praying, remove it, redo wudu, and repeat the prayers made with it.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Maaida 5:6
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغْسِلُوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْمَرَافِقِ وَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًۭا فَٱطَّهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰٓ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌۭ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لَٰمَسْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ مَآءًۭ فَتَيَمَّمُوا۟ صَعِيدًۭا طَيِّبًۭا فَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍۢ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٦﴾
O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.
Washing the whole of each limb is the command, so a barrier leaves the washing incomplete.
Sahih Muslim 243
Sahih... ارجع فاحسن وضوءك ...
"Go back and do your wudu properly."
Said to a man who left a dry spot the size of a nail, showing that a missed spot makes wudu invalid.
Sahih al-Bukhari 60
Sahih... ويل للاعقاب من النار ...
"Woe to the heels from the Fire."
A warning about leaving parts of the feet unwashed in wudu.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Taharah, fard acts of wudu. A layer that stops water reaching the skin makes wudu invalid; colour alone does not.
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on wudu. Dough or wax on the nail stops wudu from being valid.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.