Another buff convert here. My hair's just long enough to get in a little ponytail, but the buff contains the loose stuff and really does keep sweat and salt out of my eyes. In cold weather I wear it like a balaclava. It's thin enough to breathe through but keeps my face warm and, more important b/c I'm asthmatic, warms the air I breathe in so I don't cough as much. I don't know how I lived without 'em.