If It's So Simple, Why Can't I Do It?

I will confess I am quite the download junkie. I can't help it. Really. I can't. So when I download a hairstyle and someone "Nouks it" I get what they are doing to a point. Sort of. But not really. So my question is this...what exactly does it take to use a texture from one style on another? I tried and failed. Multiple times in fact. To that end I have been on a quest to find a color and style that will match and work. Hence the ever growing downloads folder. OK that is not the only reason it is so huge but it contributes.

My dilemma and the reason why I ask...Professor Walker has long hair. She wears it up except on weekends when she let's her hair down so to speak. The creator of her hair makes long versions that will compliment her style EXCEPT in the color on the good professor's head. Stupid in my humble opinion. Obnoxious reds are oozing from the CC sites but this ONE hair that I HAD to use and NOTHING else would do evades me. Another creator has used a similar color but it isn't quite the same and the style would be wrong.

Same with my self sim's hair color which I manipulated to get the color that closely matches my own. Like an idiot I didn't write down what I did to change the color. Not that it would matter much considering I could use the same colors and not have it look the same on a different texture. But as in real life, I would like to change styles without changing the color that much. Maybe it's a little anal, but I don't care. And I would like to maintain the hair color on the professor and any other character who decides they need a new style but not a new color. Most of the time that isn't an issue but sometimes...well, it is.

Long story short, is there anyone out there who can tell me how to apply a texture to a hair? I know it's a copy/paste thing but it is not that simple. I've tried and while I am not the brightest bulb in the box when it comes to this, it can't be that hard can it?