Great question! There are lots to choose from. Firstly it depends whether you are following the Curly Girl Method. If so then there are certain ingredients to avoid. The ones you would be most likely to find in a gel are silicones, alcohols, parabens and phthalates. - Silicones repel water and your hair won’t be able to absorb the moisture that it needs - Alcohols - specifically drying alcohols. Gel stays on your hair for a long period and drying alcohols with suck moisture from your hair. read my post - Parabens are used as preservatives and there is debate over whether they are safe. There is evidence to suggest that they disrupt hormone function and are carcinogenic - Phthalates are being phased out of products due to health concerns If you aren't strictly following the Curly Girl Method it is still worth looking out for some of the ingredients above - particularly the drying alcohols. They might speed up drying time but they will also suck moisture out of your hair.