Natural Home Remedies for Singers With Hoarseness

Inflammation of the vocal cords, or larynx, is a common cause of hoarseness. Singers who use their voice often may need a quick fix to get them through hoarseness before they can rest their vocal cords to recover. Severe painful sore throat accompanied by redness, swelling and fever should be tended by a doctor, but many cases of mild sore throat and hoarseness can be soothed with natural home remedies.

Pamper the throat with heat, moisture and aspirin. Take regular aspirin with a full glass of water to reduce pain and swelling in irritated vocal cords. Wet a thick towel with hot water and wring out any excess water. Wrap the damp towel around the sore throat. Drink more fresh water for hydration. Repeat this process every couple of hours.

The soothing properties of honey’s consistency and sweetness are good for throat and vocal tissues and muscles. Various ways to take honey for a sore, irritated throat and hoarseness include warm honey, frozen honey and honey in hot tea with lemon. Swallow 1 tbsp. of warm honey with a squeeze of fresh lemon every hour; sucking on frozen honey and lemon lozenges is a variation of this. Squeeze 1 tsp. of juice from a bunch of fresh basil leaves and mix it with 1 tbsp. of warm honey, then lick it off a spoon every hour. Boil fresh, sliced ginger pieces in water to make tea, mix it with honey and lemon, and sip slowly.

Peppermint soothes sore throats and aids hoarseness by calming pain, irritation and itchiness. Drink warm peppermint tea, suck on hard peppermint candy or squeeze juice from a large bunch of fresh peppermint leaves into 1/2 cup of honey, and swallow 1 tsp. of the mixture every hour.

Boil a large pot of hot water and pour it into a large bowl, then cover your head over the bowl to make a steam tent. Breathe in the steam for about 10 minutes. A drop of eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil can be added to the steaming water for additional soothing relief.

Massage the neck and throat for 15 to 20 minutes, followed by a heating pad on the back of the neck while relaxing. Repeat massage and heat every hour. A combination of massage with other remedies, such as honey and lemon and drinking water for hydration, may give better results than just a massage alone.