Great NPC Overhauls & Matching Up Hair Textures

[Random | Wholesome Degenerate]

So far I plan to use Inhabitants of Skyrim with the Bijin series to improve the look of NPCs and add better-looking hairstyles. Though there are some problems. First is that while the textures for Apachii Sky Hair (Inhabitants of Skyrim) and the Bijin series (KS Hairdos) look great, they will make the vanilla hairstyles look awful by comparison. So my goal is to find a texture mod for vanilla hair that will have them look similar enough, as I'll never achieve more than good enough. I had thought of using Bed Head for vanilla and Salt and Wind for KS Hairdos as they're made to work together. I'm unsure if the Apachii Sky Hair rough/coarse retexture will look similar, though.

My main goal is to not only improve the skin textures but give some folks the facelifts they so desperately need. Hulda in the Banner Mare can at times look very froggy, unfortunately. I know and accept that nothing will achieve true visual parity but I know I can get damn close. At least enough so there's an acceptable variance in how folks look and dress their hair as there would be irl and to keep followers from mods always looking so damned out of place.

Maybe someone here has already dealt with this dilemma.

[Stormsong]

I can't help with everything, at least not yet; too early in the day for me, I'm still sleepy. That said, one of the Bijin mods will handle Hulda for you, since you mentioned her in particular.

EDIT: Oh and if you'll be frequenting Solitude, you might also grab Toccata as Elisif. Technically it's a follower mod but you can choose not to install the follower and use the follower's model to replace that thing sitting on the throne of the Blue Palace.

EDIT 2: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/7922: Shiva's Vanilla Hair Replacer SE - ALRIGHT IM DONE, I said I wasn't helping much and I meant it. Good day sir.

[Random | Wholesome Degenerate]

Unfortunately the replacement for hair from Shiva isn't ideal in some spots. Jarl Balgruuf unfortunately looks like an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and apparently the method of undoing that is a pain in the ass I'm not much willing to undertake. Which is a shame tbh

[Jjp7123]

So you want less ugly people? Easy. For the skin textures, install one of the following:

Fair Skin Complexion: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/51602
Mature Skin Texture: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2962
SG Renewal: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/12938
Leyenda Skin: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/10306

For Males, install a body replacer. Either Better Males of S chlongs of Skyrim. There's also SAM - Shape Atlas for Men, but hasn't been ported to Special Edition yet.

Superior lore friendly hair for better hair textures:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/36510

NPC overhauls:
Ultimate NPC Overhaul II: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/76658/?
The Ordinary Women: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/12376
Seranaholic:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/13027

[Random | Wholesome Degenerate]

Originally posted by Jjp7123:

Superior lore friendly hair for better hair textures:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/36510

NPC overhauls:
Ultimate NPC Overhaul II: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/76658/?
The Ordinary Women: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/12376
Seranaholic:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/13027

I'm personally thinking of going with the Tempered Skins series for males and females, with Natural View Tamriel as my ENB with or without Obsidian Weathers.

I've tried using Superior Lore Friendly Hair but it looks metallic and fake save for the 'rough/coarse' version which ironically looks very fine and like it's been combed through to eradicate any stray hairs or irregular patterns. Also quite matte comparatively to KS Hairdos and Apachii Sky Hair textures. I think it's close but not quite where it should be.

Also, Ultimate NPC Overhaul II that you linked is for Oldrim. If it's as simple as saving it anew in the SE Creation Kit to change it to the needed Form Factor 44 then I may have a look at it. Most NPC changes seem to only change women when some of the males could use an upgrade too. I suppose I could just use Total Character Makeover as a base to improve everyone whose facegen data isn't touched by a mod. That one fellow running the stables outside Whiterun who talks with Uthgerd about Cicero stands out as a guy who always looks silly no matter my textures and ENB setup.