I also remember punks resorting to egg whites and Elmer’s

Punks actually just did that anyway, even back when the good hairspray was still plentiful. Everyone just had their own "best" method that they swore by: egg whites, school glue, Knox gelatin, I even knew a couple of gutter punks who put their mohawks up with spray paint. I used to use an extra thick hair gel that you could only find in places where they sold hair care products for black people. I think most people probably preferred the hairdryer and AquaNet method though. It was cheap, relatively easy, and it worked.