Become the Shaman

I've been meaning to review Become The Shaman because I think a lot of people who would normally gravitate to this scent have missed it, largely due to the online descriptions for it. Fragrantica's notes on the top of this page don't begin to cover it and the description on the DSH website is just too zen meditation /cosmic guru/ Native American sweat lodge for most people. "Trying to find your true balance, cleanse from negative energies;" oh pleeze. It puts people off. Forget all that. It's mystical all right. There is no pretending to hide that. It's the smell of really dry wood incense, smoky but not choking smoky. Sagebrush/smudge sticks tied together yes, but I don't smell tobacco here, or pot or hemp or anything like that. It's sage and incense, temple incense, Tibetan incense more than anything. Dawn says she's developed a milkweed accord, and I can't be the only person who has no idea what milkweed smells like. Talisman is used in DSH's text, and amulet, and that's sort of what it could be for people who really like it. Become The Shaman is for quiet times by yourself, night or a dark rainy day. You're reading or writing or just looking at art or even out the window (well, maybe not at night), and you're wearing this fabulous quieting scent which soothes your spirit in a way that all the loud, sweet tobacco and whiskey drenched fragrances hitting the market right now could never hope to do.

THIS IS IT! This is the very first scent that I smelled from DSH and it immediately cemented my opinion that Dawn is a genius. Anyone who has played with, been protected by and/or explored the beautiful Palo Santo tree knows that the the scents dervied from the distilling of the essential oil and the burning of the wood are two entirely different universes. Both beautiful and magical in their own right, but you'd be hard pressed to connect the two if you didn't know they came from the same tree. Previously if you wanted to smell burning Palo Santo, you would, well... have to actually burn Palo Santo. This isn't always practical to walk around with a burning stick lol. Become The Shaman is the most photo realistic experience of burning Palo Santo wood I have ever smelled. It is perfection. Its "incensy", but in a very uniquely Palo Santo way. It's not going to be something that you're rocking on a hot summer day (but who knows). Its defintely a fall/winter vibe. If you know what I speak of in terms of the uniqueness of burning Palo Santo, get a sample and get some of this on your skin stat! You're going to love it. I couldn't add it to my cart fast enough after sampling.

DSH Perfumes Become the Shaman is a palo santo scent with copal resin, tobacco, and sappy milkweed. I’m not familiar with sappy milkweed, myself, but I certainly get the incense mix of palo santo and copal in glorious fashion, a very strong celebration of the two notes, with just a hint of the bitterness of tobacco in the background. It’s very rich and feels very dense, with enough vague sweetness in the mix (I believe tonka and vanilla are tagged) to keep it from being too sharp or bitter. It feels sincerely devoted to the incense but nuanced enough to be appreciated by niche fans. Become the Shaman is an easy recommendation for incense fans, specifically, but also for fans of resinous and/or smoky fragrances in general. Pricing is in the standard range, $165/90 for 60/30ml VDP, and given its strength, it’s an even higher-value than most of the line, I’d say. I’m very impressed by the strength of the juice, which feels fitting for the type of notes and mix. It’s nice to wear under cooler circumstances but I imagine it could be overwhelming in the heart. 8 out of 10

This was an instant love, going straight to the top of my want list. I don't generally like smoky/incense in perfumes. I like the smell of actual wood smoke, campfires, BBQs, stuff like that in real life, but I don't usually want to smell like smoke myself. This is totally wearable though. It's smoky without smelling like you've been at a campfire all evening. And it's a little woodsy without smelling like a pine forest (another smell I like in real life but not in perfumes). I'm not familiar with palo santo or copal as notes, so for me this smells like nothing I've tried before. It's a very gentle, warm, evocative smell. A little smoky, a little woodsy, also maybe creamy and a little fruity, like dried dates or raisins.

A delightful, dry scent that is a pleasure to sniff. The palo santo is DRY AS! The tobacco, which isn't as moist, pairs well with vanilla/tonka to give a bit of a Sova vibe -- in fact, that's what this is. Sova with palo santo. I like this, I like this A LOT, but for the wrong reasons..!!! I have 10 mls of the VdP, which will probably last me long enough, I feel, it's not something I would reach for, I feel, even though I am quite partial to it. Big fan!

This is the closest you can come to the smell of burning palo santo wood. It's a gorgeous, slightly smoky palo santo wood perfume. My experience wearing it is meditative, warm, uplifting and soothing – all at the same time. This perfume is very smooth, dry and pretty linear. This is a fantastic introduction to palo santo wood if you've never smelled it before.

This is the most amazing perfume! This is the closest thing you will find to the actual scent of burning actual sticks of palo santo wood, which is most widely used for spiritual purification and energy (house) cleansings. Once the wood sticks are burned, the smoke is believed to clear negative energy and restore tranquility and calm emotions.

Beautiful and mystical. Smells exactly like a piece of freshly burnt palo santo. It’s dry, slightly resinous sweet and smoky. Uplifts my energy every time I wear it. Perfect for shamanic journeying, meditating or just living in the moment. Absolutely unisex. I think I have found my perfect palo santo scent.

I love it, it's not for everyone but the realism here is incredible. A delicate, slightly sweet palo santo. It's very uplifting, pretty dry, a little smoky. Just overall a really enjoyable fragrance, disregarding any of the inherently beautiful backstory they built it upon. 8/10

What a wonderful scent this is! Love at first sniff! It's a milky, raisiney woody masterpiece. I get flashes of a pastoral, farmhouse setting, as well as food elements. I like it so much, I bought it immediately. No questions asked, just got it. Love it!

NOTES (from DSH's own hand): Top Notes: White sagebrush & milkweed (accord) Heart Notes: Amyris (torchwood), copal resin, Palo Santo wood, guaiac wood Base Notes: Peru balsam, Texas cedar, tobacco absolute, Tonka bean absolute & vanilla absolute.

Complete notes, directly from the DSH web site, are as follows: TOP Milkweed (accord), white sagebrush MID amyris, copal resin, guaiac wood, palo santo wood BASE Peru balsam, Texas cedar, tobacco absolute, tonka bean absolute, vanilla absolute

Incredibly lovely. Warm, spicy, a little smoky with a subtle creaminess running through the background— truly smells like a burning stick of palo santo. Solid performance and longevity too. I adore this.

This is a people pleasing niche. Personally I refer to this category of scents as "health food store" (or nice apothecary type boutique) but Become the Shaman is a nice one. I would barely call it a smokey perfume; it's very subtle, and more incense-y than campfire-like. It will feel like it should be in the green category of scents, but then it will feel too brown. There's almost something breakfast-y about it against the gentle woods. Any sweetness I'm getting is very minimal and I find it to be very unisex. Average performer for the line and inoffensive. If you want to try something earthy but not too on the nose, this is a great option.

I know these scents well. Comforting like a warm embrace. These are all sacred scents used by human beings for thousands of years. Blended together here in harmony for a very powerful, peaceful and dare say magical fragrance experience. If you've been privileged to sit in ceremony around a sacred fire as the Palo Santo, Copal and Tobacco burned, you know all of these scents well.

I think this is what I was looking for when I tried MM by the fireplace. This is smoky, like realistic smoke and wood, with some sweetness. I'm not sure what else to say about it right now except that I'm glad I have found a smoky scent without too much of the extra generic perfume/cologne scent to it.

Strangely sweet. I'm not familiar with copal as a note, but perhaps it's why this smells like kettle corn.

Making a perfume that is a protection spell, warding off bad influences, is an amazing inspiration! A Project Talisman fragrance, this one takes sacred ingredients from several indigenous peoples, and combines them to create a charmed defense against negative effects. Palo Santo, means 'Holy Wood', and is a relative of frankincense, myrrh and copal having a lemony, pine minty aroma. It was used by the Incas to purify spirits. Aztecs used copal in many of their rituals. Copal is a tree resin, sometimes called 'young amber', used in many healing remedies. Tobacco and white sage were used by Native Americans for smudging, driving away evil spirits, and to cleanse and purify. A milkweed note, the food of Monarch Butterflies, is used as a symbol of transformation. The powerful combination of these mystical ingredients is a spiritual ward that magically protects the wearer! Couldn't resist the mystic perfume of a master mage like Hurwitz! It has an exotic sweet creamy smell, like that of shredded wet wood, with a touch of green rawness and a milky balm with a hint of incense underneath. One of the benefits of natural perfumes is that you get the full effect of nature's nuances in their multi-faceted splendor. Become the Shaman is packed with the exotic aroma of it's foreign essences, translated for us by a sorceress who is in love with scent. These aren't all my favorite notes in perfumery, but in this accord. the ones that aren't, shine with earthy freshness and beauty. The notes, selected for their protective aspects, are shown with their best side to us by Hurwitz. I really like the warm woody fragrance, and the added incentive of being a talisman to defend me against evil spirits . . . I need an FB!

It's a well-crafted unique scent, not so much like the actual palo Santo wood, but definitely closer than any other perfume or oil perfume I've tried. It's a slightly sweet comforting natural scent, that lasts only a couple of hours on my pre-hydrated skin. I'll try it in the Fall/Wintertime, perhaps it's better for cooler days. It does give off a chill LA hippy vibe, and can be worn any time of the day, and perhaps even layered with a citrus frag that brings out the palo Santo elements even more. Great buy, but very pricey, understandably.

Calming and meditative. Spicy woods, fragrant smoke and copal. Maybe just the barest hint of a piquant masala to keep things interesting. Reminds me a bit of 9 Flower from Shroff Channabasappa.