From styling Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts and top models backstage at international fashion shows, to driving Sydneysiders to work through peak-hour traffic – Daniel Skinner’s career change is as unexpected as it is inspiring.

The 48-year-old from Sydney was once at the centre of Australia’s fashion and celebrity hair scene, working with A-listers, designers, and jetting off to New York Fashion Week every year.

But after three decades in the industry, silent pain from a chronic skin condition forced him to walk away from the world he loved.

Now, he spends his days behind the wheel of an 18-tonne bus, and says he’s ‘never been happier’.

Daniel first discovered hairdressing at just 16, when he started shampooing on weekends at a salon in his hometown of Coffs Harbour, NSW.

‘It was my after-school job in high school,’ he told Daily Mail. ‘I had a friend who needed someone to shampoo on Saturdays, and so that’s how I got into it.’

By 18, he’d packed his bags and moved to Sydney, landing an apprenticeship at a Paddington salon.

The move quickly paid off, and before long, Daniel’s career skyrocketed.

Once a celebrity stylist, now a Sydney bus driver, 48 year old Daniel Skinner’s (pictured) journey is anything but ordinary

After 30 years as a top stylist, chronic pain forced Daniel to leave the world he loved. Now, he’s found true happiness driving an 18-tonne bus through Sydney

He styled for top designers like Zimmerman and Collette Dinnigin, and soon found himself working with Hollywood names.

‘As soon as I went to Valonz [a top Sydney salon], it was, like, bam – all the designers and then actresses like Toni Collette, Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts,’ he said.

‘It all kind of happened overnight.’

On the outside, Daniel’s career was every young hairdresser’s dream, from high-profile clients, endless creativity, and a front-row seat at Fashion Week.

But the reality was far tougher.

‘I might have up to 13 clients on a Saturday,’ he said. ‘By the end of the day, you’ve given everything you’ve got to your clients, and you just feel like having a quiet night at home.’

In 2009, Daniel opened his own salon, cheekily named Happy Endings in Surry Hills, giving him independence and a loyal clientele.

He discovered hairdressing at 16 while shampooing at a local salon in Coffs Harbour, NSW. By 18, he’d moved to Sydney for an apprenticeship where his career ‘skyrocketed’ 

He styled for top designers like Zimmerman and Collette Dinnigan, and soon found himself working with Hollywood names. Pictured here with Wella’s international colour ambassador Monique McMahon (left)

He recalled styling stars such as Toni Collette, Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts, who were regulars at the Sydney salon where he worked in his 20s 

Yet, behind the scenes, a debilitating health battle had begun. Years of contact with bleach, dyes and water wreaked havoc on Daniel’s hands.

‘I got eczema and contact dermatitis,’ he explained. ‘My skin just started cracking and bleeding, and it wasn’t healing.’

Topical steroid creams provided temporary relief but came with serious risks.

‘I started using it more and more, and it stopped working. My hands were still burning and bleeding.

‘I thought, I’m using this cream that’s toxic to my body, and it’s not even helping.’

For almost a year, he battled through the pain in silence – never telling clients the extent of his condition in fear of making them feel uncomfortable.

Eventually, he realised the career he’d built since high school was no longer sustainable.

Yet, behind the scenes, a debilitating health battle had begun. Years of contact with bleach, dyes and water wreaked havoc on Daniel’s hands, but he didn’t want to tell his clients

On a holiday to Greece in 2023, swimming in the Aegean Sea cleared Daniel’s skin completely, and a chance bus job ad on his journey home led to a new career 

‘My body was telling me something. It was unsustainable. I had to have a career change.’

The turning point came during a holiday in Greece where he stopped using his steroid cream and swam in the Aegean sea where his skin condition ‘cleared up completely’.

On a ferry back to Paris, he stumbled across a bus company recruitment page and began uploading his details, receiving a call when he landed back in Sydney asking when he could start.

‘My clients were very upset when I told them, and my friends and family were surprised too because I’d never even owned a car!’

But for Daniel, the shift felt right after hairdressing since he was 16 he didn’t want to do the same job his entire life.

‘You need to challenge your brain as you get older.’

Swapping catwalks for bus routes, Daniel now loves his new routine and finds his skills with people still shine in his role behind the wheel

Now, instead of catwalks and celebrity sets, Daniel spends his days on Sydney’s bus routes, and he loves the new rhythm.

‘At the moment, I’m doing what’s called a broken shift,’ he explained. 

‘I’ll start at 6.30am, drive for four or five hours, cycle home, walk my dog, have lunch, maybe a nap, then go back and do the afternoon peak.’

Far from losing his people skills, Daniel’s past life as a stylist has only enhanced his new role.

‘Bus driving is very much a people-person job – and one of the traits of a good hairdresser is the ability to talk with anyone.’

Although he misses being part of his clients’ lives after decades of styling families through all their milestones, Daniel insists he’s ‘very happy’ with his career change to bus driving – and is financially ‘a lot more secure’

And the moments that bring him the most joy are surprisingly simple, especially ‘saving people’ from rain and terrible weather on their commutes.

‘And also the little kids in their prams – seeing their faces light up when they come on board.’

Financially, Daniel admits he’s better off now than he ever was running his own salon, particularly after the strain of COVID lockdowns on small businesses.

‘I love that I have someone that pays my taxes and super. As a bus driver, there’s more security, and that’s made me feel happier.’

As for missing the glamour of celebrity styling, he admits to mourning the loss of being part of his clients’ lives.

‘Some I’d been seeing for 30 years – I cut their hair during pregnancies, cut their children’s hair for the first time, and watched them grow up. That’s the part I’ll always miss.’

But as for his new career, Daniel is certain he’s in for the long haul.