When you start learning to sing there are several things to avoid. These things can destroy your singing career forever. First of all you need to avoid alcohol because excess alcohol will damage your vocal cords for a long time. The only good news is that the effect of alcohol is reversible and this means that if you stopped drinking alcohol your voice will regain its original tone and overcome the bad effect that alcohol caused.
Another important thing that you need to quit is smoking. Cigarettes and cigars has a high content of tar which accumulates on your larynx causing it to produce muffled sound because it won't be able to resonate properly with the presence of these amounts of tar. Although the effect of tar is not completely reversible but, if you stopped smoking you will be able to minimize its effect
Drinking a lot of water is a very important thing to learn when you are learning how to sing. Water has a marvelous effect on your sound. There is a huge misconception that honey may be good for your voice as it soothes the larynx but, the truth is completely the opposite. Honey can damage your vocal cords permanently.
Dairy products also have the same adverse effect on your voice too. Do not attempt to drink milk or eat dairy products before singing, they will leash your voice and prevent you from singing in high scales and hitting high notes.
Learn how to sing properly through certified teachers like Helene Goldnadel who are able to guide you through the proper way to proper singing. Some people attempt to learn singing alone but, this is not the right way to start. You need to seek the advice of a professional vocalization teacher in the beginning then you can complete the course on your own. You need to get at least the base from someone professional then try the rest by yourself.
Do not neglect to warm up your voice, your vocal cords are muscles and they need warming up just as any other muscle in your body. Make sure that you spend a reasonable amount of time warming up your voice through high medium and low notes before you start singing full power. Singing without warming up your voice will strain your vocal cords and damage them immensely.
In addition to warming up, you need also to cool down your voice after singing. Lip curl is very effective in these cases. Think of your voice like a car motor, before a performance trip you need to warm up the engine to avoid damaging it and when you reach your destination after long and exhausting trip, you need to leave the motor running on idle for couple of minutes before you shut it off. The same goes for your voice.
Learn how to sing properly from the beginning with Helene Goldnadel and you will find that you are progressing very easy because you have the right and proper fundamentals.