Tsubaki Smooth Shampoo

Finished up the Herbal Essence Touchable Moisture Shampoo that I poured into the emptied Dove Botanical Selection Damage Protection Shampoo bottle and promptly moved on to this 450mL pump bottle of Tsubaki Smooth Shampoo. 

Tsubaki Oil Extra 2017 Winter Limited Shampoo and Conditioner

Before leaving Tokyo in the fall of 2016, I hoarded four sets of Tsubaki Oil Nouveau 2015 Winter Limited Shampoo and Conditioner while showing my brother around Asakusa. Yes, I like them that much, though it doesn't mean I don't get bored of them. I do, and I did. Ha.

So after a few detours with old favorites like Super Mild and Ichikami Moisture Shampoo, I found the new Tsubaki Oil Extra 2017 Winter Limited Shampoo and Conditioner sets reasonably priced on Amazon and picked one up for science. The set contains two pump bottles, 450mL each of Moisture Balance Care Shampoo & Conditioner.

Tsubaki Oil Nouveau 2015 Winter Limited Shampoo and Conditioner

When my family was visiting over the holidays, I took my mum and sister to the shotengai right outside of Musashi Koyama station, you know, for a taste of local shopping outside of the glitzy malls and department stores. This shotengai is supposed to be the longest one in Tokyo. That said, I've tried to breeze through the one in Asagaya and found it exasperatingly endless, so I'm not sure whether this "longest shotengai in Tokyo" claim is substantiated. 

What does this have to do with anything, you ask? Everything! Let's just say if you were searching high and low for some obscure, limited edition items/colors that are sold out everywhere else, the shotengai may be your last chance. Because nestling among the mom-n-pop shops are drugstores big and small, from which I found what might have been the very last of the Canmake Lip & Cheek Gel LE 04 Blood Cranberry (will review soon) and Tsubaki Oil Nouveau 2015 Winter Limited Shampoo and Conditioner set.

***Stock photo from Shiseido Tsubaki JP.

Tsubaki Tsubaki Water

Wow, November is almost over already, eeps! Sorry I've been neglecting on posting, having my behinds royally kicked with classes and such. Today is the last day of class and exams are in 2 weeks, so I should be able to post something between now and then ^.^

Let's start (again) with this Tsubaki Tsubaki Water. I got this 250mL spray bottle from the Tsubaki LE Shining Water Gift Set at Don Quixote last summer. It's basically a spray on and leave in hair conditioner, which I usually stay away because they tend to weigh my hair down the next day and make it oily and greasy. But I've been using this for the past couple of months and it's actually very nice! 

Tsubaki Shining Shampoo

I believe it was last summer that the Tsubaki Hair Care line had a revamp. The original Tsubaki Shampoo in the red bottle became Tsubaki Shining Shampoo (and Conditioner), the white bottles changed from Golden Repair to Damage Care, complete with a new addition of the gold bottles of Head Spa (for deep cleansing, I think...). I was curious at the time, but thinking back to my disappointing experience with the Golden Repair Shampoo and Conditioner in 2008, I didn't feel like trying.

That is, until I stumbled upon this ridiculous deal at Don Quijote - a limited edition gift set with a pair of 550mL of the Tsubaki Shining Shampoo and Conditioner, and a full size 250mL Tsubaki Water, all for only 998yen including tax!

Tsubaki Limited Edition Shining Water Gift Set

Tsubaki Golden Repair Shampoo & Conditioner

After trying the Super Mild Chikara Shampoo & Conditioner, I decided to move on to the Tsubaki Shampoo & Conditioner, which comes in two different kinds: Original - red bottle with a flowery scent, and the newer Golden Repair - white bottle with a fresh scent. They both contain Japanese Camellia oil, the oil from the flower that is the namesake of the shampoo - tsubaki.

Original (red) VS. Golden Repair (white)

***Pictures from TrueRenu.

I've read about the nourishing properties of Camellia oil for hair and skin, and plus people raved about this shampoo so I thought it wouldn't hurt to try. I couldn't stand the overwhelming flowery scent of the Original though, so I opted for the Golden Repair instead. The fresh scent was a bit strong still, but it was a whole lot better than putting a bouquet in a blender and drown myself in its puree.

Sadly, the Tsubaki Golden Repair didn't impress me at all. In fact, I found it drying! After the wash, my hair was squeaking, and while it sounds "clean," squeaking hair is not a good sign - it means your hair was stripped of its natural emolient. Super Mild and Super Mild Chikara cleaned my hair well but never left it squeaky. Yet with Tsubaki Golden Repair, even after conditioning my hair -gasp- still tangled! And my hair never tangles, not with Super Mild or Super Mild Chikara, not even when I use the occasional deep cleansing shampoo to clear the build ups, which more often than not would leave my hair too clean it squeaks! So I don't know exactly what went wrong here. Any advice? I thought about trying the Original Tsubaki shampoo, but the thought of the overwhelmingly flowery scent irks me!

So yeah, unfornately I won't continue using Tsubaki Shampoo after finishing this bottle. In the mean time though, I have to supplement my hair with Camellia oil to help with the dryness and the tangles.

The shampoo & conditioner I'm eyeing next? Kao Asience, which also has Camellia oil in it.