From my perspective as a blind woman, here's what makes a beauty tutorial inaccessible—and what we can do about it.
September 8, 2025
There are so many types of beauty tutorials on various platforms. Some are accessible, and some are not. Some are on TikTok, others on YouTube or Facebook. Wherever you find them, I bet every platform has at least one inaccessible beauty tutorial. And my, oh my, have those made me feel limited! However, with the knowledge and tools in this blog, you'll be better equipped to handle those annoying tutorials.
How do you know if a beauty tutorial is inaccessible? Well, if a beauty tutorial is on a platform that doesn't work with your accessibility tools (such as a screen reader or enlarged font), it's inaccessible. Also, if the creator simply performs the actions without describing what's being done, it's inaccessible. For example, if I find a cute beauty hack on Instagram, which I find inaccessible with my screen readers JAWS (for Windows) and VoiceOver (for iOS), that hack is inaccessible. If I watch a video on an accessible platform like YouTube where the creator demonstrates how to make a French braid with music playing but no audio descriptions, that video is inaccessible.
Accessible beauty tutorials are those on accessible platforms that have audio descriptions of what's happening. Going back to the French braid example, if the video is on YouTube (an accessible platform) and the creator describes what they are doing to make the braid, that video is accessible. If both conditions are met but the audio descriptions aren't ideal, I would still consider the video accessible. While it might be tough to follow along at times, you can still get some information from it, so there's no need to eliminate it from your list of tutorials to watch.
Speaking of not having to eliminate tutorials, there’s a new technology that makes any beauty tutorial accessible. That’s right, you can make inaccessible tutorials accessible using the Ally app (Android,iOS). All you have to do is play the video on one device, point the camera of a second device (with Ally open) at the screen, and ask Ally to describe what's happening. Ally will describe the tutorial to you in real time by taking different pictures.
"But how will you remember everything?" I wouldn't just leave you hanging! You can use a third device to record Ally's descriptions. I prefer the Wilson Voice Recorder because it's small, portable, battery-operated (so it never needs charging), and has great speakers. You can then play the recording later to follow along with the tutorial. And there you have it: an inaccessible beauty tutorial made accessible.
I hope this information and these tools help you as much as they have helped me. I especially hope you appreciate how these apps have helped me defy my limitations as a blind person. Finally, you might consider writing to companies whose platforms are inaccessible. Sometimes, I feel like they forget we exist until we remind them. It doesn't have to be a big ordeal—just a few sentences explaining what makes their platform inaccessible and what you've tried will suffice. They appreciate the feedback, and they always have a way to contact them through their apps, websites, or contact information. Enjoy your beauty journey!
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