Before: Don’t drink coffee, tea and milk. Coffee & tea takes the moisture off your body, which will also dry off your vocal folds (cords). Milk creates phlegm. Drink warm water.
During: Learn the correct way of breathing, i.e. to breathe with the support of your diaphragm, and power up your voice through resonance. In this way, you can talk as long as you want!
After: If you have lost your voice, do not talk, especially whisper (it adds more pressure on your vocal folds). Drink more water. Take a steam bath if possible. Or breathe in the vapour from a cup of hot water. It’ll help relieve the immediate surface wear-and-tear on the edges of your vocal folds.
The most important effective way to even prevent vocal strain from happening is to learn the correct way of projecting your voice. Most people use their throat too much, which creates pressure on their vocal folds (cords) and may lead to permanent damage if it continues. To project your voice, you need deep breathing to support your projection, i.e. to breathe with the support of your diaphragm, and power up your voice by means of resonance. In this way, you’ll never worry about straining your throat.
