i actually prefer the buff (in many senses, but here I'm talking about the pic the OP posted). here are the reasons why. 1) it can be adjusted in many fashions, 2) it is light weight enough to actually breathe a little opposed to just trapping in heat.

yeah, yeah...i live in houston. but, on my 200k perm Friday, it was in the mid 20's for the first half of it. i too experienced freezer brain after controls, but 5 minutes of pain and i was as comfortable as can be. i also think the freezer brain can be attributed to my profuse sweating and the dampness of the buff. I believe I would experience this with any damp product that could fit under my helmet.

you may be less than 20 deg F, but i can testify to the buff's efficacy into the mid 20's for long rides.