Eco-friendly gel is hard to come by, and unfortunately pretty essential for many curly styles. As of the time of this writing, Earth Hero (a great resource for the most sustainable products) does not offer any hair styling products. Lush has one styling cream that claims to have “medium-to-firm-hold” but seems to be marketed more as a men’s pomade. And don’t even get me started on Ecoco Eco Style gels. Their greenwashing is a post for another time…
The environmental impact of traditional hair gels is two-fold: (1) the inescapable plastic container and (2) the production and use of unnecessary chemicals. While I might be able to accept having to use a plastic container if a company had exceptionally good ingredients and business practices, there don’t seem to be any companies making any sort of ethical or eco-friendly hair gels.
Since this is the case right now, I think homemade flaxseed gel is the best alternative.