I'm not entirely sure how best to specify precisely the requirement that the answer should avoid the logarithm. I do have such a specification in mind, but instead I will state, and then solve, a similar but simpler question, so that I can then make a comment about how to adapt the answer to "solve" your question, modulo the logarithm-avoiding requirement. You can judge for yourself whether this will help you in any way. And yes, the "ordering" of the asymptotic behaviour of real-valued functions involving exponential and logarithmic functions and their compositions have been studied, according to a faint memory I have of reading a particular paper in the past. I suggest that you investigate objects called Hardy fields and valuations on such fields. The valuation essentially "grades" how fast each element of the field grows, and two functions $f$, $g$ having the same valuation essentially means $\lim_{x\to\infty} \frac{f(x)}{g(x)} = C$ for some constant $C \in \mathbb{R}$. I would visit the Wikipedia article on Hardy fields first, and sort of skim the last reference listed.
Without further ado, suppose I have a sequence of functions $f_1, f_2, \ldots$ such that $f_n \in o(f_{n+1})$ for all $n \geq 1$. Does there exist a function $F$ such that $f_n \in o(F)$ for all $n$? The answer is yes. We simply construct $F(x)$ starting at $x = 0$ by first behaving like $f_1$ for at least the interval $[0, 1]$, until $f_2$ exceeds $f_1$, at which point $F$ will switch to behave like $f_2$, until the point where $f_3$ exceeds $f_2$ (or until $x = 2$, whichever comes later), and so on. Now of course any function in the sequence will grow slower than this "pieced together" $F$. To adapt this to your question, we simply piece together sections from $\ln^k$ in this fashion (so that it grows ever slower; edit: some details are missing here), and multiply that by the identity function $x$.
I will state a possible way to formulate your requirement that the solution "avoid the logarithm". Consider the smallest function field (of germs at $\infty$; please read the Hardy field Wikipedia article) containing $x$, $\mathbb{R}$ (the constant functions), and $\ln(x)$, and is closed under composition. Then the requirement is simply to avoid functions in this field.
I think what I said above can contain errors...I haven't rigorously proven anything on paper yet, but I am fairly certain those work. But in any case I still hope this post will be helpful to you.