Sunan al-fitrah during menses

There is no reason why one should not do the “sunan
al-fitrah” or keep oneself clean or beautify and adorn oneself, rather the
menstruating woman is like any other woman in that regard. 

Rather the menstruating woman is not allowed to pray, fast,
circumambulate the Ka’bah (tawaaf), touch the Mus-haf, enter the mosque or
have intercourse. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas
were asked: Is it permissible for me to put henna on my hair and hands
during my monthly period? 

They replied: 

That is permissible for you, because the basic principle is
that it is permissible and there is no shar’i proof to the contrary. End
quote. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
(5/403) 

Secondly: 

Doing the sunan al-fitrah depends on whether there is a need
for that. If a person’s hair or nails have grown long, it is Sunnah for him
to hasten to shorten them. 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
al-Majmoo’ (1/340): 

With regard to the time limit for cutting the nails, it
depends how long they are– when they grow long one should cut them. That
varies from one person to another. The guideline with regard to cutting the
moustache, plucking the armpit hairs and shaving the pubes is the same. End
quote. 

It is well known that the menses may last for more than a
week, and nifaas may last up to forty days, so how can one be enjoined to
ignore these sunan al-fitrah and not do them during that time? 

Thirdly: 

Some people believe that the person who is in a state of
major impurity should not remove any of his hair or nails. This is a false
belief that has no basis in Islamic sharee’ah. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him)
was asked about a man who cut his nails and moustache and combed his hair
whilst he was junub – is there any blame on him for that? Some of them
referred to this and said: If the person who is junub cuts his hair or
nails, then these parts will come and join his body in the Hereafter, and he
will be raised on the Day of Resurrection with a measure of janaabah
commensurate with what he cut of that, and on every hair will be a measure
of janaabah. Is that the case or not? 

He (may Allaah have mercy on him) replied: 

It is proven in the hadeeth of Hudhayfah and the hadeeth of
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that when the person who
is junub was mentioned to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), he said: “The believer does not become junub.” In Saheeh
al-Haakim it says: “alive or dead.” I do not know of any shar’i evidence
to suggest that it is makrooh for one who is junub to cut his hair or nails.
Rather the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to
one who became Muslim: “Cut off the hair of kufr and get circumcised.” And
he told the one who became Muslim to do ghusl, but he did not tell him to
delay getting circumcised or removing his hair until after he had done
ghusl. The general meaning of his words indicates that both are permissible.
Similarly the woman who is menstruating is enjoined to comb her hair whilst
doing ghusl, even though combing the hair will cause some of the hairs to
fall out. And Allaah knows best. 

End quote. 

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa
(21/120-121). 

And Allaah knows best.