The ruling on applying oil, henna, and creams to the body during the daytime of Ramadan

Question : Honorable Shaykh, this questioner, Umm Yasser from the Eastern Province, says: I would like to ask first about the ruling on applying oil, henna, and creams to the hair and body during the daytime of Ramadan. May Allah reward you with good?

Answer : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the seal of the Prophets, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for henna, creams, and all ointments, there is nothing wrong with them in the state of fasting. They do not affect it, they do not invalidate the fast, and it is not disliked for a person to use them. The only point is that some scholars held that it is recommended for the fasting person to use the siwak (tooth-stick) after the sun passes its zenith, that is, in the latter half of the day. However, this is a weak opinion. The correct view is that it is permissible for the fasting person to use the siwak at the beginning of the day and at the end of it, because the evidence regarding the virtue of the siwak is general, and nothing has been specified from it. Therefore, the general ruling must be followed in its generality, unless a specific proof comes regarding it, if Allah wills.