Hairspray substitute

I want to do my daughters hair in long ringlets but don't want to use masses of hairspray to keep them in. Can anyone tell me how they did this in the old days when ringlets were common and hairspray hadn't been invented

To get a strong curl, my mom used to set my hair wet with sponge or spring rollers. Then I'd sit under the hood dryer until my hair was dry. But my hair holds a curl very well.You didn't say whether or not your daughter's hair held a curl easily or not. But you might try an extra firm holding gel then roll it wet. Don't know if this gets you past the objection to hairspray, though.Good Luck,June