If you find them scratchy due to thier fibers, rather than a true allergy to wool, make a simple cover out of a pair of cotton sheets and whip stitch around the edges. No more scratchy. If you want to be very fancy, you can get Thai silk online pretty reasonably.

As for the hard, that usually has to do with being in storage for umpty years in a wooden crate that they had to have someone sit on so they could nail/strap/latch the lid down. Treat it like you would a stiff hide, ie bending and scraping with a wooden edge (and you thought wooden rulers were just for the naughty) and it will soften.

But they aren't very fluffy, that much is true. Mostly because they are are made by the lowest bidder.