Are you looking to soothe your voice for an upcoming performance? Are you experiencing some irritation or soreness that you think a lozenge can fix?
Before you head to buy your favorite brand, I want to make sure you are very aware of the downsides of consuming throat lozenges, especially right before a performance or a rehearsal.
I don't want to scare you; these little candies or pills are not going to cause you any automatic damage or anything, but there are two things I want my fellow singers, speakers, and rappers to be aware of when it comes to sucking on these for an upcoming performance.
Once you get past these two problems, then you'll find that you still have some options for your throat comfort that include more natural lozenges.
Related Post: Why Does My Throat Hurt After Singing?
Most of the popular menthol candies like Halls and Chloraseptic have the ingredient menthol, which is intended to soothe our throats.
Menthol works lovely and all, especially when you're getting over a cold or the flu, but it may not be your best choice before a singing performance.
Menthol is an ingredient known to cause dry mouth, which can be a big issue when it comes to singing and speaking performances. A dry mouth can cause you to have poor diction and a less confident performance.
Many people who are nervous before singing already get a side effect of dry mouth, so the throat lozenges won't do you any extra favors in that regard.
Along with menthol, many throat lozenges and cough drops have a numbing ingredient in them which helps you to ease the pain and discomfort that can come with a sore or irritated throat.
The popular numbing ingredient used in these candies is benzocaine, which you want to avoid as a performer for a reason that isn't known well enough in the singing community, so I want to spread the news!
The numbing isn't anything that is going to damage your voice automatically, but the connection we have with feeling our throats and voice box while we perform is critical for not overworking our body, which is referred to as vocal fatigue.
When we overuse our voice by speaking, singing, or shouting for too long a period of time, the muscles in our larynx can get tired and irritated to the point of causing dryness, irritation, and possibly pain.
Related Post: What To Eat Before Singing
While most of the products on the market have some form of menthol or benzocaine, there are several more natural options available out there that won't have any negative side effects when it comes to your singing voice.
Here are three suggestions I have for you if you don't want to overuse or dry your throat out. Keep in mind that some of these brands have a wide different variety of options, so they may have a more natural pack and a menthol pack. Always look at the ingredients!
Tea can be healthy and soothing for us singers with dry throats. The only downside to tea is that the caffeine found in common flavors can dry you out, just like menthol.
See my list below has six caffeine-free teas for you to choose from. Try one or try a few to have some variety in your life!
6 Of The Best Teas For Singing
Throat sprays can also work well as long as you know what to avoid. The good ingredients you want to look for in sprays may include water, glycerin, herbs, and other natural-based extracts.
Just like the other products, many throat sprays have the same ingredients you want to look for and some you want to avoid. You want to make sure your throat spray does not contain alcohol or menthol.
7 Of The Best Vocal Sprays For Your Singing Voice
And lastly, two of the best ways to fight back against a dry throat are to drink tons of water and rest your voice before your upcoming performance.
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