Don't tell your wife this but there's good hard and bad hard.
There's firm enough to hold its shape but still pliable enough not to crack. Then there's hard and brittle and ready to turn to dust. You need to know which it is before proceeding. If it's ready to crack, it needs to be conditioned. Saddle soap, wax or snoseal does not accomplish this. It needs something like Lexol or Skidmores conditioner or oil. I typically use extra virgin olive oil or neatsfoot. It should be applied in very light coats and allowed to completely soak into the leather. You want enough to replenish the moisture, not soften it like a baseball glove.
There are myriad myths surrounding leather and holsters. There are people who will swear until they're blue in the face that oil is bad, no exceptions. They would be horrified to see John Bianchi dip a completed rig into warm neatsfoot oil before applying the final finish. Virtually any maker is going to oil his work before it leaves the shop and no, it doesn't make leather soft. Over-doing it with oil makes leather soft. Makers of modern concealment holsters will warn not to use oil, ever. This is because they'd rather you have to buy a new holster in 10yrs than risk warranty claims at six months because some idiot treated their new holster like a baseball glove.
Not everybody uses resolene and most that do, only apply it to the outside. I don't know what the hell good a pigskin or suede lining is going to do with a resolene coating. I've never used the stuff and will never. I finish my work inside and out but the leather can still breathe and accept oil.
Not every holster from a well reputed professional shop is stiff like Kydex either, nor does it have to be. El Paso Saddlery's work is always pliable and they've kinda been at it for a while.
