I've heard that it's important to go easy on voice training early on so that you don't damage your vocal cords. How long should one practice when starting out, and/or how do you know when you should rest? And what exactly is this "damage"? I've never heard it be specified

I didn't know it was possible to damage one's vocal cords by practicing voice feminization.  That said, I know nothing about feminizing my voice.  How does one start to practice this?

Your vocal cords are in fact muscles that need some training. If you train them too often and too hard you can damage them like any other muscle in your body.
My voice therapist told me to practice multiple times a day, but only for short moments. In the beginning, the short moments where about a minute and now they're up to a maximum of 5 minutes. She also told me to take rest when the throat feels sore or when I start to feel some pain/tension.

Quote from: Stella92 on August 12, 2018, 01:48:27 AM
Your vocal cords are in fact muscles that need some training. If you train them too often and too hard you can damage them like any other muscle in your body.
My voice therapist told me to practice multiple times a day, but only for short moments. In the beginning, the short moments where about a minute and now they're up to a maximum of 5 minutes. She also told me to take rest when the throat feels sore or when I start to feel some pain/tension.

I will use this sounds advise

As much as people like to thump their chests and say "No Pin, No Gain,"  there is no benefit to injury in ANY form of exercise. Stop practicing when the muscles begin to hurt.

Scar formation on the vocal cords can permanently destroy the ability to raise the voice. I severely traumatized my throat when I began a daily vinegar cleanse. I completely lost my voice for THREE days. Croaking like Froggie from the Little Rascals, my female alter was terrified she was never going to get her voice back again. It took TWO MONTHS until by throat had healed to the point that she was able to hit an 1100hz scream again.

Susan to the rescue! I found this in the wiki when the day I signed up. https://www.susans.org/wiki/Vocal_function_exercises also https://www.susans.org/wiki/Voice_therapy

Quote from: Lucca on August 12, 2018, 01:00:11 AM
I've heard that it's important to go easy on voice training early on so that you don't damage your vocal cords. How long should one practice when starting out, and/or how do you know when you should rest? And what exactly is this "damage"? I've never heard it be specified

My voice was hoarse for a few days if I overdid it when I started training my voice, and people would ask me if I was getting a cold!

If your voice is to high, to low or to loud it will cause damage. Using a feminine voice isn't simply a matter of raising your voice but it's a matter of using it correctly. Raising your larynx much like what happens when you swallow is the correct procedure and won't place stress on your vocal cords.

That's pretty simple. You feel your voice tired, your muscles strained? Stop and rest. If you feel you're ok, you can practice. Just keep things natural.
Though I have a little practice with feminization, in past I tried to learn growling so yup, whenever you feel you put too much efforts try to stop, rest and analyze.

I've read somewhere that milk products are not to be used when practicing, but ice cream helps me. I use Vanilla Bean, but I guess any kind would work.

I believe that it works fantastic.

Among people who use their voice for a living: Some throats feel better if they have something creamy. Others would rather eat or drink something sugary. There are people who swear by hot tea. A few would just insist on good hydration.

Most would probably agree about avoiding smoke, dust, irritants, overuse, etc. As for what will actually make you sound better, practice and rest.