Mori · licensed hairdresser, 8 years in Tokyo & Shanghai, specialising in Japanese straightening.
Matching a product to a hair type was the job. That is what this article is.
These are the two Japanese shampoos everyone ends up comparing. Both sit on the same drugstore shelf in Japan, both cost about the same, and both have huge followings.
They are not interchangeable. One is a light clarifying formula. The other is a medium-weight repair formula. Buy the wrong one for your hair and you will conclude that Japanese shampoo is overrated — when what actually happened is a mismatch.
Here is the difference, in the terms that decide it.
⏱️ In a hurry?
Fine hair, oily roots, or product buildup → Ichikami Smooth and Sleek
Damaged, coloured, or dry hair → Tsubaki Premium Moist & Repair
Quick Comparison
| Ichikami Smooth and Sleek | Tsubaki Premium Moist & Repair | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula weight | Light | Medium |
| What it does | Clarifies, removes buildup | Repairs, adds moisture |
| Signature ingredients | Rice bran extract, camellia oil | Camellia oil, collagen, amino acids |
| Best for | Fine hair, oily roots, buildup | Damaged, coloured, dry hair |
| Wash frequency | 2–3× weekly maximum | Daily is fine |
| Common complaint | Dryness with frequent use | Buildup after 2–4 weeks |
| Scent | Light floral | Stronger, sweeter floral |
| Size | 480ml | 490ml |
| Price band | $ | $$ |
| Where to buy | Check Price on Amazon | Check Price on Amazon |
Price bands: $ budget · $$ mid-range. Amazon pricing moves constantly — check the live listing.
The One Question That Decides It
Forget ingredients for a moment. Answer this:
Does your hair go flat and greasy, or does it go dry and rough?
- Flat and greasy by day two → your hair is fine and prone to buildup → Ichikami
- Dry, rough, splitting, colour-faded → your hair needs repair, not cleaning → Tsubaki
That single distinction predicts which one you will like more, better than any ingredient list. Everything below is the reasoning.
Ichikami Smooth and Sleek — The Light One
Best for: Fine hair, oily roots with dry ends, anyone prone to product buildup
Ichikami is a clarifying-leaning formula built around rice bran extract and camellia oil. It cleans thoroughly and leaves almost nothing behind.
That is its strength and its limit. On fine hair that goes limp under heavier products, Ichikami is the one that lets the roots lift again. On dry, damaged hair, it removes more than it gives back.
Pros – Genuinely light — will not weigh down fine or thin hair – Clears product buildup that heavier shampoos leave behind – The cheapest option in the Japanese drugstore range – Light fragrance that does not linger aggressively – Pump bottle
Cons – Causes dryness above 2–3 washes weekly. This is the single most common complaint and it is a usage issue, not a defect – Not enough moisture for coarse, curly, or chemically treated hair on its own – Needs a decent conditioner to balance it
How to use it properly: two to three times a week, not daily. If you wash daily, alternate with a gentler shampoo. Most people who dislike Ichikami were using it every day.
👉 Buy Ichikami Smooth and Sleek on Amazon →
Tsubaki Premium Moist & Repair — The Repair One
Best for: Damaged, coloured, heat-styled, or simply dry hair
Tsubaki Premium Repair is Shiseido’s mainstream repair line: camellia oil plus collagen and amino acids, in a medium-weight formula that coats and conditions as it cleans.
Not sure which Tsubaki bottle is which? The range was renamed — see which Tsubaki shampoo to buy for the red / white / gold breakdown.
It is the more forgiving of the two. If you do not know your hair type well, Tsubaki is the safer purchase — its failure mode (slightly heavy) is milder than Ichikami’s (dry and rough).
Pros – Real improvement on dry, rough, or colour-faded hair – Thick creamy lather and a luxurious feel for a drugstore price – Works across a wider range of hair types than Ichikami – Fine for daily use – Widely stocked, easy to replace
Cons – Buildup is the dominant complaint, and it follows a pattern: good for 2 weeks, waxy by week 3, limp by week 4 without a clarifying wash – The fragrance is stronger and sweeter — noticeable in dry hair for hours – Too heavy for fine or naturally oily hair – Contains silicones, which some buyers avoid
How to use it properly: use it for two to three weeks, then run one clarifying wash, then return to it. That rotation prevents the buildup wall that produces most of its negative reviews.
👉 Buy Tsubaki Premium Moist & Repair on Amazon →
The Combination Nobody Mentions
These two are opposites, and that makes them a functional pair rather than an either/or.
Use Tsubaki as your regular shampoo. Use Ichikami once a week to reset.
Tsubaki’s weakness is buildup. Ichikami’s strength is removing buildup. Running Ichikami once weekly solves the exact problem that generates most Tsubaki complaints, and Tsubaki’s moisture solves the dryness that generates most Ichikami complaints.
Two bottles cost less than one salon-tier shampoo, and between them they cover both failure modes.
Which One by Hair Type
Fine or thin hair → Ichikami. Tsubaki will flatten it.
Oily roots, dry ends → Ichikami, two to three times weekly, with conditioner on the ends only.
Coloured or bleached → Tsubaki. Ichikami strips too much from processed hair.
Dry and rough → Tsubaki.
Curly or wavy → Tsubaki of the two, but neither is ideal. Our curly hair guide covers formulas built for textured hair, and the conditioner pairing that matters more than the shampoo.
Sensitive scalp → neither. Both contain fragrance and Tsubaki draws irritation complaints. See our sulfate-free guide instead.
No idea → Tsubaki. It is harder to get wrong.
FAQ
Which is better, Ichikami or Tsubaki? Neither, in the abstract. Ichikami is better on fine hair and buildup; Tsubaki is better on dry and damaged hair. Asking which is better without naming your hair type is like asking whether a light or heavy jacket is better.
Are they both sulfate-free? No. Neither markets itself as sulfate-free, and Tsubaki in particular draws complaints from people avoiding sulfates. If that is a requirement, see our verified sulfate-free guide.
Can I use either one every day? Tsubaki, yes. Ichikami, no — above two to three washes weekly it dries hair out. This distinction causes more bad reviews than any formulation issue.
Do I need the matching conditioner? With Ichikami, yes — it clarifies, so something has to put moisture back. With Tsubaki, use the conditioner two to three times weekly rather than daily, because pairing both daily accelerates buildup.
Which smells stronger? Tsubaki, clearly. It is a sweeter, heavier floral and it stays in dry hair for hours. Ichikami’s scent is lighter and fades faster.
How do these compare to salon brands like Milbon? Different tier. Milbon is concentrated, repairs structurally, and costs several times more per bottle — though far less per wash than the shelf price suggests. Our Milbon vs Shiseido comparison covers whether the upgrade is worth it.
What about &Honey? Heavier than both, built for coarse and very dry hair. If Tsubaki still is not moisturising enough, &Honey is the next step — covered in our full Japanese shampoo comparison.
The Verdict
Ichikami Smooth and Sleek if your hair is fine, your roots go oily, or heavier shampoos leave you flat. Use it two to three times a week. 👉 Check Price on Amazon →
Tsubaki Premium Moist & Repair if your hair is dry, coloured, or damaged — or if you simply are not sure. It is the more forgiving of the two. 👉 Check Price on Amazon →
Or buy both. Tsubaki as the everyday shampoo, Ichikami once a week to clear the buildup Tsubaki leaves. Between them they cancel out each other’s weakness, and the pair still costs less than one salon bottle.
About the author
Mori spent eight years as a licensed hairdresser — two in Shanghai at the Isetan salon, six in Tokyo — specialising in Japanese hair straightening (shukumo kyosei). He no longer works behind a chair but still holds the licence, and lives in Japan.
This article is based on professional knowledge of hair and formulation, plus aggregated customer reviews. It does not claim personal testing of every product. More about how this site works →