Soap and hardness minerals combine to form a curd that sticks to the body, leaving an unclean, sticky feeling. More soap is required. Hair washed in hard water is encrusted with that same curd, which makes hair brittle, hard to keep clean, difficult to manage, and robs it of natural highlights. More shampoo is necessary. Hair washed in softened water is thoroughly clean, smooth, natural looking and easy to manage.
Many persons remember collecting rainwater in a barrel to use for washing hair and clothing.
There was a reason for it. Rainwater is naturally soft. The gray in clothing results from hard water impeding the cleansing action of soaps and detergents and combining with them to deposit a curd on the clothing. To try to overcome the problem, one must use more cleaning agents, resulting in greater cost. The life of your clothing and household linens is reduced by hard water.