I’ve tried a ton of non toxic hair styling gel, pastes and balms over the last eight years, and I’m sharing the best ones that truly work. The best natural hair gel is made with plant based goodness and is free of silicones, parabens, alcohol, sulfates, chemical fragrance and harmful ingredients.

Toxins to Avoid in Hair Styling Gel

• Drying alcohols: Can dry out hair and scalp
• Sulfates: Strips hair of natural oils
• Parabens: Preservatives that are potentially hormone disrupting
• Phthalates: Plasticizing compounds sometimes used in fragrances and should always be avoided
• Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives: Can cause allergic contact dermatitis or scalp irritation. Avoid DMDM Hydantoin and Imidazolidinyl Urea.
• Synthetic fragrances: Can cause irritation to sensitive scalps
• Silicones: causes build-up that’s hard to remove

How to Choose a Hair Styling Product

There’s so many types of hair styling products that come in different formats, so I’m breaking it down so you can choose the best one for YOU.

• Hair gel: light consistency that gives a soft flexible hold and sleek, defined finish
• Styling balm: creamy consistency that can add texture, provide hold and definition
• Sculpting cream: feels like a pomade and has the thickest consistency to provide strong hold and definition.

I tried Rowe Casa Organics Hair Gel

Rowe Casa Organics Hair Gel is my top pick for a do-it-all hair styling gel that’s non toxic and works on curls, men’s hair, thin hair and slick backs. It’s the strongest 100% natural hair gel I’ve tried so far and is made with organic vegetable glycerin, corn starch, plus an herbal infusion of nettle leaf, melissa leaf, horsetail leaf and peppermint leaf. It’s cloudy colored and has a consistency that feels light, hydrating and juicy hair styling gel. If I use enough product it turns my hair stiff and hard with no flaking and great lasting power (yay!). For a chemical-free and 100% clean product, I was surprised by the very solid hold it gives me. I love how unisex it is and the subtle yet noticeable citrus floral scent from a blend of lime, orange, blue tansy and ylang ylang essential oils. A small amount is perfect for defining curls and controlling frizz, almost like a leave-in, while a generous amount is great for adding actual structure to men’s hair styles and slick backs.

Price: $22 for 4oz
Hold: light to medium
Hold duration: 8+ hours
Key ingredients: organic vegetable glycerin, lactobacillus ferment, corn starch, nettle leaf extract, peppermint leaf, essential oils of lime, orange, ylang ylang, black pepper and blue tansy

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I tried Briogeo Curl Charisma Frizz Control Gel

Briogeo’s Curl Charisma Frizz Control Gel is an amazing lightweight hair gel for waves and curls that’s vegan, cruelty free and 94% naturally derived. It’s non-sticky and doesn’t weigh my hair down at all while giving definition to my waves and eliminating frizziness. This offers great value for money with the amount of product it contains and I love the subtle sweet floral citrusy scent. It’s got some interesting and hair nourishing actives like rice amino acids, tomato fruit ferment, avocado oil and quinoa extract to actually improve the health of my hair. This Frizz Control Gel is very fine and thin hair friendly!

Price: $24 for 5.5 oz
Hold: light
Key ingredients: rice amino acids, tomato fruit ferment, quinoa extract, avocado oil
94% naturally-derived Vegan Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free

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I tried Reverie Rake Styling Balm

Reverie’s Rake Styling Balm is both a curl cream and finishing cream in one and made with clean, natural and organic ingredients. This is another highly versatile styling product that works for all hair types, including fine hair. I find that it can be used to define curls, give that grippy texture, texturize and provide hold to any style. My male partner also finds it to give a solid medium hold and structure to his hair. I love that it has luxurious botanical actives like mango nut butter, pomegranate seed extract, organic bourbon vanilla fruit extract, meadowfoam oil and organic rose flower oil. It’s got a creamy consistency and the most therapeutic herbal earthy scent. I find the scent to be quite strong. A little goes a long way and I use a small amount on damp hair to let it air dry with less frizz, on curled waves to hold their style and to tame flyaways on an updo. It’s heavier in consistency than a styling gel so it does weigh down hair a tad.

Price: $36 for 2.5oz
Hold: light to medium
Hold duration: 8+ hours
Finish: Matte
Key ingredients: Meadowfoam oil, Mango nut butter and Pomegranate 

I tried Rahua Aloe Vera Hair Gel

Rahua’s hair gel is a super juicy, light gel that’s 100% natural, non toxic and clean and gives a very light hold. To me this feels more like a juicy leave in serum than a true hair styling gel, but it could be an option if you’re looking for a light “finishing” gel. It’s packed with botanical actives like rahua oil, green tea, aloe vera, guayusa and sugarcane to help hydrate and nourish strands while helping smooth and define them. There’s a very subtle natural cucumber scent to it. This is great if you want a little bit of definition and smoothing out frizz, but don’t expect a strong hold. I’d recommend this if you need a super light gel or have very fine hair. The full size comes in a hefty glass bottle and looks luxurious but isn’t travel friendly at all.

Price: $34 for 4oz
Hold: very light
Hold duration: a few hours
Key ingredients: aloe vera, rahua, guayusa, sugar cane

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I tried Lolavie Sculpting Paste

Lolavie has the most advanced ingredients I’ve seen in a hair sculpting paste and offers solid medium hold. It’s absolutely packed with actives, including pomegranate sterols, B-Pro3 bond technology that combines bamboo, birch, and sugar maple saps with kale, carrot, and lemon peptides, a super fruit complex of açaí, coconut MCTs and amaranthus squalane along with peptides from chickpea, lentil and quinoa. This is a hardworking hair paste that delivers on giving a medium hold and long lasting frizz control with a matte finish. I find that it has a mostly fresh and slightly herbal scent that’s not too strong but noticeably present at first. The airless pump is practical for not letting any air enter and potentially contaminate the product, but it’s not my favorite for such a dense cream.

Price: $29 for 1.7oz
Hold: medium
Hold duration: 8+ hours
Finish: Matte
Key ingredients: Pomegranate sterols, bamboo, birch, sugar maple sap, acai, amaranthus squalane, coconut MCTs, peptides from chickpea, lentil and quinoa

I tried John Masters Organics Hair Paste (strong hold!)

John Masters Organics makes the heaviest duty natural hair paste in the clean beauty space that actually works. This is a super rich paste that feels similar to a pomade wax. I love that it actually provides a strong hold and is great for adding definition, taming frizz and flyaways and adding texture to hair. It has organic aloe vera, rice extract, honey, beeswax, and nourishing oils and butters along with bentonite and tapioca starch to provide hold. It has a noticeably present herbal scent. I cannot recommend John Master Organics’ Hair Paste enough if you need a hold that lasts all day or a heavy-duty hair styling product for very short hair.

Price: $25 for 2oz
Hold: strong
Hold duration: all day and into the next
Finish: Matte
Key ingredients: organic aloe, organic rice extract, bentonite, tapioca starch, beeswax and honey

I tried Briogeo Light Work Sculpting Creme

Briogeo’s Light Work Sculpting Creme is a vegan, cruelty-free and clean pomade made with a 96% naturally derived formula. This hair styling cream has a creamy, rich consistency and gives very solid medium hold that lasts all day. There’s zero crunchiness or flaking and is great for slick backs and taming frizz. I love that it’s filled with plant-based waxes, B vitamins, yuzu extract and plum oil and has a yummy citrusy floral scent. My partner also really loves this one because it’s convenient to scoop out during busy mornings instead of having to handle a pump.

Price: $26 for 1.75
Hold: medium to strong
Hold duration: all day and night
Finish: Demi matte
Key ingredients: B vitamins, yuzu extract, plum oil

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