Here are few guidelines on how singers can take care of their voices:

•    Don’t fall into the trap of drug and alcohol abuse because that’s the best way artists find their creativity. Smoking doesn’t help either. Drugs such as cocaine constrict blood vessels and make it hard for blood to flow in the chords. Alcohol and caffeine dry out the vocal chords and smoking attacks the vocal folds and the lungs. These are bad habits that affect eating and sleeping habits. Taking care of your voice means to take care of your body as a whole. Your voice box is a part of your body, and leading a healthy life free of bad habits equals to having a healthy singing voice.

•    Observe good posture and proper breathing when singing. Maintain an upright posture when singing and use your diaphragm instead of projecting too much tension on your vocal chords. Through singing lessons you will learn breathing exercises to help you control breathing when you’re singing.

•    Take breaks. It is recommended that singers should rest their voices, or take breaks in between long performances.  Drinking water or hot tea is good during this rest period. Water hydrates and warm tea soothes the throat.
Singers like Houston and Celine Dion had developed nodules, or calluses on the vocal folds which may have resulted from overusing or misusing the voice. These nodules result in temporary vocal damage evidenced by a huskier voice. The limelight sometimes takes its toll on successful singers with hectic schedules for daily performances, interviews, and the like. Be sure to rest your voice once a week when performing daily.

•    Regular Exercise and Proper Diet. As pointed out earlier, taking care of your voice means you have to take care of your body as whole.  Getting sick means feeling tired, succumbing to sore throats other illnesses that could damage the vocal chords.

•    Avoid speaking in noisy environments. You strain your speaking voice when you speak over construction noise, nightclub music, or over an exciting baseball game. By doing so, you also strain your singing voice and may damage the chords. Avoid speaking too much in an extremely noisy environment.