Since I use my voice a lot to either conduct business or help people with their own businesses, it’s a crucial tool and resource for me to maintain and protect. Here are some of my favorite tools to do so:
- Warm water – helps keep the throat and muscles relaxed and prepared
- Lemon, honey, and water – very natural, very healthy, and very effective at reducing vocal stress
- Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Tea – they make some of the most healthy teas around, and this one is excellent for your voice
- Ricola Natural Herb Cough Drops – relatively natural and very powerful (I personally prefer the Honey Herb)
- Hall’s Honey Licorice – I would recommend against the menthol variety if you can find them, excellent to use as a preventive measure
- Thayer’s Slippery Elm Lozengers Plain – great for providing a little bit more protection for your throat and mouth
- Singer’s Saving Grace Pro Strength – a more extreme measure, pretty natural but still very powerful
- Ibuprofen – especially for overuse (mechanical laryngitis) this is a great option to reduce the inflammation that can cause severe affects if untreated
Almost all of these can be used before or after vocal stress, although I generally recommend before hand for most of them (but use as directed). Remember that laryngitis is possible regardless of whether you contract it virally or irritate it mechanically through overuse.
Something else that’s very important is vocal technique and exercises. I won’t link any here because it would be like me linking a workout regimen. They’re relatively personal and based on what you’re doing with your voice, just like if you were planning on a specific sport. But they are still very important and something I recommend a lot of.