From catwalks to bus routes: former A-list hairdresser Daniel Skinner finds happiness behind the wheel in Sydney

Daniel Skinner, 48, spent three decades at the center of Australia’s fashion and celebrity hair scene before a chronic skin condition forced him to change careers. Today he drives an 18-tonne bus on Sydney’s peak-hour routes and says he’s never been happier.

Skinner was introduced to hairdressing in Coffs Harbour, starting as a weekend shampoo assistant at 16. By 18 he had moved to Sydney for an apprenticeship, and his career quickly took off. He styled for top designers such as Zimmerman and Collette Dinnigan and soon worked with Hollywood names who frequented the city’s salons, including Toni Collette, Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts.

Behind the glamour, years of bleach, dye and constant water exposure took a toll. Skinner developed eczema and contact dermatitis, his hands cracking and bleeding despite topical steroids. He kept the severity private for years, worried it would unsettle clients. The condition eventually made the demanding schedule unsustainable.

After 30 years in hairdressing, Skinner opened his own salon, Happy Endings in Surry Hills, in 2009, but health problems persisted. During a 2023 holiday in Greece, he stopped using the steroid cream and swam in the Aegean Sea, and his skin cleared. While returning to Paris by ferry, he spotted a bus company recruitment page and started the application process when he got back to Sydney. "My body was telling me something. It was unsustainable. I had to have a career change." He recalls that his clients were upset when he told them, and friends and family were surprised—he had never owned a car.

Now Skinner works a so‑called broken shift: starting at 6:30 a.m., driving for four to five hours, then cycling home for a midday break before the afternoon peak. He says bus driving is a people‑person job and that his experience as a stylist helps him engage with riders. Financially, he is better off than during his salon days, with taxes and super taken care of and a sense of security that eluded him in the gig economy during COVID-19.

Yet he misses parts of his old life—being part of families’ milestones, cutting hair for pregnancies and first haircuts for children. Still, he says the trade-off is worth it, and he expects to stay on the bus driver beat for the long haul.