diff --git a/browser/base/content/browser.css b/browser/base/content/browser.css
index 52de7c0cd9c0..09e7c0303701 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/browser.css
+++ b/browser/base/content/browser.css
@@ -122,7 +122,6 @@ tabbrowser {
   visibility: hidden;
 }
 
-.tab-close-button,
 .tab-background {
   /* Explicitly set the visibility to override the value (collapsed)
    * we inherit from #TabsToolbar[collapsed] upon opening a browser window. */
@@ -131,15 +130,28 @@ tabbrowser {
   transition: visibility 0ms 25ms;
 }
 
-.tab-close-button:not([fadein]):not([pinned]),
 .tab-background:not([fadein]):not([pinned]) {
   visibility: hidden;
   /* Closing tabs are hidden without a delay. */
   transition-delay: 0ms;
 }
 
+.tab-close-button,
+.tab-label {
+  /* Explicitly set the visibility to override the value (collapsed)
+   * we inherit from #TabsToolbar[collapsed] upon opening a browser window. */
+  visibility: visible;
+  transition: opacity 70ms 230ms,
+              visibility 0ms 230ms;
+}
+
+.tab-close-button:not([fadein]):not([pinned]),
+.tab-label:not([fadein]):not([pinned]) {
+  visibility: collapse;
+  opacity: .6;
+}
+
 .tab-throbber:not([fadein]):not([pinned]),
-.tab-label:not([fadein]):not([pinned]),
 .tab-icon-image:not([fadein]):not([pinned]) {
   display: none;
 }
diff --git a/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml b/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml
index a91f8c1ee8cc..9fb9b0293cb0 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml
+++ b/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml
@@ -1672,12 +1672,6 @@
 
                 // kick the animation off
                 t.setAttribute("fadein", "true");
-
-                // This call to adjustTabstrip is redundant but needed so that
-                // when opening a second tab, the first tab's close buttons
-                // appears immediately rather than when the transition ends.
-                if (this.tabs.length - this._removingTabs.length == 2)
-                  this.tabContainer.adjustTabstrip();
               }.bind(this));
             }
 
@@ -1863,13 +1857,6 @@
             aTab.style.maxWidth = ""; // ensure that fade-out transition happens
             aTab.removeAttribute("fadein");
 
-            if (this.tabs.length - this._removingTabs.length == 1) {
-              // The second tab just got closed and we will end up with a single
-              // one. Remove the first tab's close button immediately (if needed)
-              // rather than after the tabclose animation ends.
-              this.tabContainer.adjustTabstrip();
-            }
-
             setTimeout(function (tab, tabbrowser) {
               if (tab.parentNode &&
                   window.getComputedStyle(tab).maxWidth == "0.1px") {