How to Get Your Voice Back with 14 Home Remedies

You have a big speech, theater or vocal performance, or a big meeting to lead and you have lost your voice. It happens to all of us at one time or another and when it does, how to get your voice back becomes a major priority. Before you panic, let’s consider a couple of questions. Why do people lose their voice and how long does it take to get your voice back? The answer to those questions depends upon the severity of the inflammation of your vocal cords as well as the effectiveness of the remedy used.

How to heal vocal cords and avoid cancelling or performing poorly can be accomplished using these remedies for acute laryngitis, but for chronic laryngitis it is necessary to seek the advice and necessary treatment of a health care professional.

14 Home Remedies to Get Your Voice Back

1. Honey

One of the best and most well-known remedies for how to get your voice back is honey. Not only is honey highly beneficial for soothing throat irritation and coating it, but it also has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties to get at the root of the problem.

What to do:

No fancy mixtures are necessary, just swallow 1 Tbsp of raw honey every few hours.
Also, you can add honey and lemon to your herbal tea. Some people even add a dash of cayenne pepper or cinnamon to the tea to boost its effectiveness.

2. Licorice

Another ingredient with powerful anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties is licorice. Licorice is a natural expectorant which helps to get rid of mucus along with the inflammation, which are critical steps in how to get your voice back.

What to do:

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, then add 1 tsp of dried licorice root.
Continue boiling licorice for 5 more minutes.
Strain out the licorice and add honey and/or lemon as desired.
Drink this at least 3 times a day until symptoms improve.

Please note: Licorice might have adverse reactions with certain medications and may not work well for people with high blood pressure, kidney disease, liver disease, or heart disease. Nor is it recommended for pregnant or nursing mothers.

3. Eucalyptus Oil

An ingredient in the best cough syrups, eucalyptus oil is another ingredient which can play a critical role in how to get your voice back. Eucalyptus oil contains antiviral and antibacterial properties which can help get rid of the cause of the inflammation affecting your vocal cords.

What to do:

Add several drops of eucalyptus oil to a large pan of boiling water.
Use a towel to cover your head while you inhale the steam for 10 minutes.
Repeat this remedy a couple times a day.
You can also add 5 to 6 drops of eucalyptus oil to 1 tsp of coconut or olive oil and massage it into your throat before wrapping your throat with a warm compress to help the oil absorb faster.

4. Ginger

Another great anti-inflammatory compound which can greatly contribute to how to get your voice back is ginger. Fresh ginger contains a flavonoid called gingerol which soothes the inflamed mucous membranes surrounding your larynx.

What to do:

Thinly slice fresh ginger root the size of your thumb into 2 cups of boiling water.
Cover the pan and allow the water to continue boiling for 10 minutes.
Strain the ginger slices from the tea and allow it to cool for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add some lemon juice and honey, if desired.
Drink this tea every few hours throughout the day.

5. Warm Salt Water

Gargling with warm salt water is a tried and true remedy for how to get your voice back as well. Salt helps to kill the microorganisms causing the inflammation around your vocal cords and helps to speed healing.

What to do:

Add ½ tsp of salt to 1 cup of warm water.
Take about ¼ cup of the mixture into your mouth at a time.
Gargle for 30 seconds or so before spitting it out and repeat the process until all of the water is used up.
Repeat these 3 or 4 times throughout the day.

6. Onion Syrup

This one might not be as tasty as some of the others, but it works. Onion syrup is a very effective remedy for how to get your voice back. Onions contain antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties to go along with the fact that it is a natural expectorant for removing mucous from around your larynx.

What to do:

Slice 3 or 4 medium-sized onions.
Simmer the slices in 4 cups of boiling water until the solution thickens to a syrup-like consistency.
Reserve this syrup to mix with water.
Add 5 Tbsp of syrup to a glass of warm water.
Add 1 Tbsp of raw honey to help tolerate the taste.
Sip the mixture slowly throughout the day.

7. Garlic

Onion’s cousin, garlic, also provides a highly effective remedy in how to get your voice back. Garlic contains the flavonoid, allicin, which is an effective antimicrobial compound. Garlic is also a natural expectorant to help rid you of the mucous around your vocal cords.

What to do:

Thoroughly chew and swallow a raw garlic clove every three to four hours throughout the day.
You can also chop several garlic cloves and add them to a jar of equal parts of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar and water.
Mix the contents well and allow it to sit for 4 hours.
Create a syrup-like mixture using raw honey and the garlic/vinegar mixture.
Take 2 Tbsp every 4 hours.

8. Lemon Juice

The citric acid in lemon juice also helps to kill the viruses and bacteria which are causing your condition. Lemon juice also helps to loosen the mucous so that you can get it out of your throat. This is another tried and true remedy for how to get your voice back.

What to do:

Into a glass of warm water, squeeze the juice of a lemon.
You can add ½ tsp of sea salt, Himalayan salt or just regular table salt to the juice and water mixture.
Use this solution to gargle several times throughout the day.

9. Apple Cider Vinegar

Another effective means for how to get your voice back is apple cider vinegar. The antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of apple cider vinegar not only help to get rid of the infection, but also help to eliminate the swelling and mucous surrounding and inhibiting your vocal cords.

What to do:

Add 2 Tbsp of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar and 1 Tbsp of raw honey to ½ cup of warm water.
Drink this remedy 2 or 3 times throughout the day.
Apple cider vinegar is also a key ingredient in a few of the other solutions on our list.

10. Turmeric

As effective at reducing inflammation and pain as ibuprofen, turmeric is an excellent remedy for how to get your voice back. Curcumin, the active flavonoid in turmeric, helps to reduce inflammation and get rid of the mucous surrounding your vocal cords.

What to do:

Prepare a tea like the one mentioned above for ginger and consume it in the same dosages.
Alternatively, you can add ½ teaspoon of turmeric to a glass of warm milk.
Drink the mixture 2 to 3 times throughout the day to bring relief.

11. Cinnamon

Another powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antiseptic ingredient is cinnamon. Three potent compounds in cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamate, and cinnamic acid, make this ingredient a powerful addition to the best remedies for how to get your voice back.

What to do:

Boil a whole cinnamon stick or 1 tsp of powdered cinnamon in 2 cups of boiling water for about 10 minutes.
Add honey to the tea and consume it 4 or 5 times throughout the day.
Alternatively, you can sprinkle cinnamon over the top of a tablespoon of honey and swallow it every few hours.
Finally, cinnamon can be an effective additive to all of the other remedies on this list.

12. Clove

Almost as powerful as cinnamon in its effectiveness at how to get your voice back is clove. Used along with zinc oxide as a temporary filling for cavities, the eugenol in clove is well known for its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which serve you well when it comes to soothing the symptoms and combating the infection in your vocal cords.

What to do:

Create tea using 8 to 10 whole cloves or 1 tsp of powdered clove in place of cinnamon in the recipes above.
Ground clove or clove oil can also help enhance the other recipes on this list.

13. Anise

Anise seeds are also effective when it comes to how to get your voice back. Similar to clove and cinnamon, anise seeds have antimicrobial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties to help bring soothing relief to your vocal cords.

What to do:

Create tea using 6 to 8 whole anise stars or 1 tsp of powdered anise in place of cinnamon or clove in the recipes above.
Ground anise or anise oil can also help enhance the other recipes on this list.

14. Chamomile, Sage and Peppermint Tea

These three herbs create effective herbal teas which are a wonderful addition to our list of remedies for how to get your voice back. These herbs possess anti-inflammatory properties to help reduce the swelling around your vocal cords.

What to do:

Prepare tea from the whole leaves of any of these herbs individually, or in a mix of the three together, by boiling 2 cups of water and adding a handful of leaves.
Cover and allow the tea to boil for 15 to 20 minutes before straining and drinking.
Alternatively, you can brew these teas from tea bags.
Drink these teas 3 or 4 times throughout the day.

Conclusion

You don’t have to cancel your meeting or performance if you are aware of the best ways of how to heal vocal cords by reducing the inflammation and eliminating its cause. When it comes to how to get your singing voice back or how to get your voice back in general, making use of one or more of these remedies can significantly improve your condition. Add your success stories with these or other remedies along with any questions you might have to the comments section below.

Images from depositphotos.com and pixabay.com.