Keeping your vocal cords moist and hydrated will help to prevent damaging them and will make your voice sound warmer and more pleasant to the listener.
The lubrication of vocal cords helps to remove irritation. Keeping vocal cords hydrated and moist will make them larger, as a result, making your voice a tad bit deeper and warmer.
Here are 5 tips to keep your vocal cords nice and lubricated:
Air humidifiers
One of the reasons why your vocal cords might feel dry and irritated is the low air humidity in your house or apartment. Think of it, if the air you breathe is dry, your vocal cords get no moisture to cover them up.
Luckily, this is an easy problem to solve. Air humidifiers will help to increase overall humidity in your house, which should help to keep your vocal cords lubricated and moist.
Coating
Coating the throat and vocal cords could help to prevent dehydration. It is essential to understand that although water is good for hydration, it doesn’t keep your throat coated.
However, some remedies will coat and protect your vocal cords. It is best to use these right before hitting the record button.
Juice
Some more thick and viscous juice can help to coat your throat. I like to use banana, pineapple, and peach juice, these are more likely to stick and temporarily lubricate and protect your throat.
It also helps that drinking juices makes you produce saliva, which is another good lubricant for your vocal cords and throat.
Honey
Honey is another remedy that helps to produce saliva and coat the throat and vocal cords. However, instead of drinking it with tea, which washes away the coating, eat honey alone. It will work better.
Oils
Anything full of good fats can help you to lubricate your throat. Avocados and olives are rich with good fat. You can eat a few to thicken your throat coating.
Stay hydrated
Drink water
This one is pretty obvious. To stay hydrated, try drinking lots of water. Having a bottle of water with you everywhere you go is a good starter.
Drinking water won’t immediately hydrate your vocal cords, however. To keep vocal cords moist, you have to drink water throughout your whole day way before you start recording.
If your whole body is well hydrated, it will affect your vocal cords as well. So, keep that bottle of water close to you.
Fruits and veggies
Fruits and veggies are great for keeping yourself hydrated without having to drink water all the time.
So, try eating more fruits and veggies. They are naturally full of water. Most of the fruits contain more than 95% of water. Besides, it is healthy.
Steam
To temporarily lubricate and moisten, you can try using steam.
There are a few ways to go about it. The easiest is probably buying steam inhalers.
Most of the steam inhalers are quite cheap. You can get one for as low as $10. They work by producing warm steam, which you inhale.
Although steam inhalers are quick and easy to use, there are many free alternatives. You can just breathe air from a hot shower or just boil water in the kitchen and breathe in.
You might as well cook something after you have done your breathing deed.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine
Alcohol and caffeine both dehydrate your body. You can try to avoid both, but realistically for most of us, that is unlikely to happen.
If so, try compensating for caffeinated and alcoholic beverages by drinking more water and consuming more fruits and veggies. Or award yourself with caffeinated drinks and alcohol after you have recorded.
Also, avoid mouthwashes with alcohol before recording. They will also dehydrate your throat and vocal cords.
Takeaway
To keep your vocal cords moist and lubricated, drink lots of water. Eating fruits and veggies will also help to stay hydrated. You can also try using air humidifiers and steam inhalers to moisten the air you breathe.
Coating your throat with juice, honey or oils will temporarily help to lubricate your throat. It could be a quick solution for throat lubrication right before beginning the recording session.