Your voice is one of your most important attributes. From people who use it professionally in choirs, to lecturers, to telephonists, the range of people who actively rely on their voices for their livelihoods is incredibly diverse.

Like any other part of the human body, looking after your voice is something that must be considered with appropriate emphasis. Here are our top tips for maintaining excellent voice care.

Warming up

Prior to any situation when you will be required to employ your voice, be that a speech or a musical solo, make sure that you keep your body warmed up with a series of stretches. This will help to ‘wake up the breath' before you actually get round to vocalizing. It is important that you keep your spine aligned, and release your knees and pelvis as you do your exercises, following this by releasing the tongue and jaw tension.

Looking after your body

It might not seem obvious but it crucial part of looking after of voice is to ensure that the rest of your body is adequately maintained. Sleep is nature's way of ensuring that we are always at our peak condition following day. If you are going to be in any situation at all where you are going to be required to use your voice, then make sure that you do get a good eight hours the previous night.

Avoid having to speak in loud environments, such as having to shout conversations against excessive background noise. Drinking plenty fluids will also help to lubricate your vocal chords. Avoid drinks that are extremely cold, fizzy or sugary. Cans coming straight from a vending machine are often extremely cold, but their heavy gas content is not ideal for thirst-quenching, let alone keeping your voice in peak condition.

You should always have one eye on the content of certain foods. Wheat products and baby are obvious examples of foodstuffs that can cause excessive mucus production. Avoid smoking, or at least cut down if you have this habit. This is one of the singularly most destructive influences on our voices. Leading on from this, it is best to try and avoid coughing excessively, or even having to clear your throat too much. This puts a lot of strain on your vocal chords. It is far better to try and gently lengthen the back of your neck, Keep your chin level and swallow slowly.

Vocal strain

The indications that your voice is under strain include the following:-

Do you feel pain in your throat when you swallow or when you speak?

First thing in the morning, do you have a sore throat that gradually disappears?

In the evening does your voice sound tired or is there an increase in the mucus at the back of your throat?

Are you aware of any rapid alterations in your voice pitch, or even loss of control of your voice?

Does your voice get easily tired?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes then you will have to consider what you can do to recover your voice. Rest is certainly the best procedure. Prior to any further public speaking or musical engagements hello your vocal chords at least a day to recover. Never be attempted to self-medicate by using sweets or medications apparently aimed at reducing your throat pain as a temporary precaution. Your voice needs a proper sensory recovery.

Before outlining the useful steps anyone can take to ensure their fingernails are kept in maximum health, it is worth going back to some basic considerations. It would help with your fingernail maintenance if you appreciated exactly what these parts of your body are actually made of. Your nails are made from laminated layers of a substance known as keratin. This is a protein that grows from the area around the base, under the cuticles.

During this process, as new cells grow, older ones become compact and hard, eventually getting pushed out towards the tips. When your nails are healthy, they should be nice and smooth. There should not be any grooves or pits and their colour and consistency should be uniform. Don't be alarmed if the surface of these nails does appear to have a certain amount of vertical ridges, running from the direction of the cuticle towards the tip. These bridges are perfectly harmless, becoming more prominent the older you get. Damage to the nails can also cause white lines or spots to appear, but these will eventually grow out towards the fingertips as the growing process unfolds.

So here are the crucial aspects of keeping your fingernails in optimum health. Firstly, keep them clean and dry at all times. This will stop bacteria and fungi from flourishing beneath your fingernails. If you're going to be in subjecting your fingers to excess temperatures, either through dishwashing, or perhaps handling chemicals, then always wear rubber-lined gloves.

Make sure that your nails are filed and trimmed on a regular basis. The best way to achieve this is to use a sharp pair of manicure scissors, or nail-clippers. When you attend to your nails, cut them straight across, and then around the fingertips in a gentle curve. By far the optimum time to be dealing with your nails is when they are slightly moist. Immediately upon exiting a bath or shower would be the perfect opportunities.

The use of moisturiser is also excellent for your fingernails. If you happen to use a hand lotion, then rubbing the lotion from the palms and upwards into your fingernails and cuticles should be an integral part of the process.

What you should never be doing is abusing your fingernails in any way. Many people have developed nervous habits that involve biting their nails. This will merely cause the tips of the nail to serrate, meaning they will be more likely to snag in objects, perhaps getting torn away completely. If you are in a situation where you have to delve into something, always use an appropriate tool rather than using your fingernail as a convenient but far too sensitive alternative.

Perhaps most importantly, if you suspect there is a problem with your fingernails, do not ignore it under the false hope that it will go away. Seek professional advice from your doctor or dermatologist. This is what they are therefore

There can be no denying that long, curly hair looks striking. But what can probably be stated with equal confidence is that it is also very difficult to maintain.

If you possess hair that is curled and falls to you shoulders, there is every likelihood that you have tried out various hair products. You only have to walk into your local supermarket to look at all the beauty care shelves, containing seemingly endless possibilities, from the inexpensive to the downright extortionate.

If you possess hair that is curled and falls to you shoulders, there is every likelihood that you have tried out various hair products. You only have to walk into your local supermarket to look at all the beauty care shelves, containing seemingly endless possibilities, fromaFor all that you may well have chopped and changed between different options, the chances are that what you are looking for is something that will answer the ultimate question: will this purchase be the hair care solution I am looking for. Unfortunately, the most likely answer to this question is, in fact, no. The reason for this is fairly straightforward: there are no conditioning or cleansing ingredients that have unique properties for curly hair. the inexpensive to the downright extortionate.

The fact is, no-one washing with a shampoo exclusively labeled ‘for long curly hair' has ever achieved any better results than if they were using products which did not carry this targeted statement.

So when we are looking into the ideal hair treatments for curly hair, what should we be considering? Firstly, this type of here is usually much drier and therefore more prone to damage than any other hair type. This is particularly the case if the curly hair has also been dyed. The initial step that you must take is to employ a shampoo and conditioner that is designed for dry or damaged hair. This should be the overriding factor for your consideration, not whether or not there is any mention of curly hair on the label. Believe it or not, those shampoos labeled ‘for damaged hair' and ‘for curly hair' will more than likely share strikingly similar chemical characteristics.

Another Thing to be wary of, are those shampoos and conditioners which appear to be far more expensive than those nestling beside them on the shelves. There is actually very little difference in the combinations of formulas used right across the board. The variations in the price ranges tend to be down to marketing gimmickry rather than hard scientific facts! This is the case whether we are referring to products you see in department stores, sold under their own brand, and those available in more upmarket salons. All the bottom line is, when it comes to caring for a long curly hair, the old consumer adage that ‘you get what you pay for' is simply a myth.

Assuming you have settled on a shampoo that is aimed at dry hair, then the next question to ask yourself is how often should I be washing my curly hair? No matter what consistency your hair happens to be, you do not want to be shampooing it too frequently. This activity damages hair, no matter what the chemical formula of the particular shampoo might advertise itself as. Too much shampoo often keeps dry air dry, a situation that is exacerbated when towel drying and brushing is added to the punishment meted out on your hair! Less is undoubtedly best.

Lotions

Most people enjoy the basic human function of washing. It makes us feel refreshed and revitalised, and a shower or even a swift wash at the sink is often what kick-starts our day. But that daily activity of cleansing can take its tall. So in order to keep your skin in peak condition it is advisable to follow some basic precautions.

It can be very tempting to relax and soak in a hot bath for a long time, or just remain under your shower enjoying those soothing jets. However, in time, being blasted by all this water actually removes vital oils from your skin. What you should really get into the habit of doing is limiting the amount of time you spend in your bath or under your shower. Additionally, you can choose to employ warm rather than overly hot water.

Detergents and soaps can also remove oil from your skin. What you want to do is avoid using strong soaps, and choose milder cleansing agents instead. When it comes to shaving your skin, always apply cream gel or lotion in the first instance. For a close shave of legs or arms, employ a clean, sharp razor. Disposable razors are fine for a short term, don't keep on re-using them as they will eventually get blunt and the blade will not be nearly as effective. Also ensure that you shave in the direction that the hair grows rather than going against the grain.

Once you have bathed your skin you should gently blot or pat it dry with a towel. If you rub the skin too vigorously with a towel you will do subtle damage. Far better to employ the former technique that will ensure some moisture will remain on the surface of the skin.

If your skin is particularly dry, then seek advice about which moisturizer would best shoot your skin type. If you would like to use a moisturizer on a daily basis you should also consider whether or not it contains SPF.

Diet

DietAdopting a healthy diet has multiple benefits. Aside from the obvious effects on countering potential weight issues, your skin will certainly be affected. In order to look your best you don't have to starve yourself. Simply enjoy the food you like in moderation. There are numerous diets to choose from, but the common denominator in most is to eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins and whole grain products. Scientists remain unclear about the link between acne and dieting, although certain research papers have suggested that any diet regime that is rich in vitamin C and low in unhealthy fats will have a positive effect on skin.

People who do not adopt healthy diets run the danger of putting on excess weight. This can eventually begin to put pressure on areas of your skin, particularly around your midriff. As weight fluctuates it will have the effect of expanding and then contracting skin. This will not only damage the surface of the skin, it will leave unseemly stretch marks.