"Brand" has absolutely nothing to do with it.

You very likely need a water softener, and there's nothing else that will substitute for a water softener.

Get a Hach test kit model 5-B and test your water for hardness,

I take it that it's municipal water.

Most companies that sell water systems will test your water for free.

Thank you all for the great suggestions! I'll test the water. I was hoping if there is any other filter that can help besides softener.

To remove hardness, you need a softener. Nothing else will do that besides R/O - which isn't practical at that scale.

There's a ton of misinformation about filters - including magnets, electro magnets, "salt free conditioning" etc.

Why are you adverse to a softener?

Also, can you confirm that you are on municipal water supply?

I'm on a city water supply

https://www.sjwater.com/sites/default/files/2022-06/SanJoseWater2021-WEB.pdf

Re Softener don't like if any chemicals or the way how your skin feels after shower

So, I'm going to guess you are in the "purple" area and get your water from groundwater. It averages 21 grains per gallon and goes as high as 30.5. Tell me if I'm wrong.

Just so you know, 25 grains per gallon is considered "very hard" by the USGS. Other sources say 15+ gpg is extremely hard. My water was crazy hard at 23 gpg. By any measure your water is exceptionally hard.

Re: Chemicals:

It's all chemicals. All of it. Every bit of food, every breath, every beverage you drink. You are made of a bunch of chemicals.

Water softeners exchange hardness ions (calcium and magnesium) for sodium ions. Sodium is in most of the food and beverages you consume. Soft water has less sodium than bread, milk, etc. and certainly less than fries from the drive through.

How skin feels after a shower with soft water is how it's supposed to feel. That's what it really feels like. You are used to soap scum on your skin. Soap scum is soap, combined with hardness in the water (calcium and magnesium) that forms a really nasty layer of crap on your skin... and everything else, such as your hair, shower, tub, toilet, dishes and clothes.

Soap scum and hardness deposits in general make everything hold dirt. It creates a rough surface that everything sticks to, such as "skid marks" in your toilet. It makes your shower doors and tiles get nasty. It makes the insides of your dishwasher nasty. It makes stuff stick to your bathroom and kitchen sink.

I'm not world's best housekeeper, but my kitchen and bathroom stay so much cleaner since I got my water softener.

One's skin feels "slimy" after a shower with softened water because there's no mineral residue to cause friction.

Yes, I'm in the purple zone of the city :(

Which type of softener is best to get then? - ion exchangers that use salt and brine, water distiller, salt-free, reverse osmosis, and magnetic? Thank you

There is only one type of softener. A water softener is by definition an ion exchange that uses salt. Nothing else is a water softener. A "salt-free softener" isn't a thing.

Reverse osmosis is a filter. It removes virtually everything. It is generally not practical beyond small amounts of drinking water - a few gallons a day. Same with a distiller.

Magnetic and electromagnetic are completely bogus.

There is something called template assisted crystallization that may or may not actually do what it says because the results aren't measurable. Even if / when it does what it says, it doesn't remove hardness.

The only option for residential use that will remove hardness in the volume of water that you need for your entire house is an ion exchange water softener. The good news is a simple water softener is about $600 to $800 plus installation. They are very effective and you can prove that they are doing what they say by measuring the hardness level of the water after they treat it.

Thank you for the great information and all the details. Any particular brands I should be looking at? There are so many…Thank you

Talk to a local independent provider. Tell them you just want a water softener. They probably build their own - which is fine.

You would like one with a Fleck or Clack valve.

You don't want Kenetico - they are crazy overpriced.

They will size it properly, and install it.

The softeners (just the hardware) is around $700-800 now + install.

Use that as a guide for cost