Drink a lot of water. Insufficient hydration can lead to negative consequences for the voice. If you're dehydrated, you risk your voice becoming raspy and losing strength and control. Hydrating ensures that your voice remains flexible and steady. Aim for at least eight glasses of water every day.
Refrain from abuse to your vocal cords. To care for a singing voice, it is important to take great care to ensure that you are not mistreating your voice. This means everything from not yelling loudly at a basketball game to cheer on your home team to not speaking too much before a performance.
Sleep enough every night. To maintain vocal cords that are in tiptop condition, try to get as much shut-eye at night as possible.
Pay attention to your beverage intake. During singing, drink liquids that are at room temperature instead of icy cold. Also restrict your caffeine and alcohol consumption, as these things are both diuretics and as a result are capable of causing water loss to the body. Insufficient fluids can bring upon vocal cord dehydration.
Warm up your vocals before singing. Warm-ups can help the vocal cords and diaphragm get ready to achieve strong voice quality before singing. One warm-up to try is singing scales, beginning at low notes and gradually moving to higher notes -- "do, re, mi....." Start with the lower notes and then move on to the higher ones to get your voice prepared for a vigorous singing session. Breathing exercises can also warm-up the voice. Inhale slowly and deeply directly via the diaphragm several times. Doing so can enhance your breath control while singing.
Avoid smoking cigarettes. Smoking can lead to very harmful consequences to the voice, as it can be very aggressive to the vocal cords. It can also change your vocal quality and make it sound raspier.
Refrain from straining. When you sing, you should always feel comfortable and normal. Straining is an indication that the range or volume isn't suitable for your voice. If you strain, you can damage your voice causing it to become frail, weak and thin.