Shemaghs are very fashionable nowadays and I see people wearing them every day. For cold weather I'll take my 100% wool buff wear neck gaiter. But for hot weather, bugs, etc, a shemagh is fantastic and dries really fast.

I have heard good things about these bandannas so I bought a set tonight. FYI, Sportsman's Guide is running a 10% off special on all military surplus items, plus free shipping (saved me $9.99) through Jan. 20 with coupon code "SH1506". This made the Swedish bandannas an exceptionally good deal.

No affiliation with Sportsman's Guide.

I've had and used shemaghs since 2005 from time to time. For your climate it is suitable year round. It might seem a bit skimpy on the coldest/windiest days. But I think you'd find more diverse use for it than you would with silk.

Por que no los dos?

If getting a multicolour shemagh, make sure it's woven rather than printed.

When I looked into this, it seemed to me that weight and volume are what mattered, rather than material. A silk bandanna with a large area would be as effective as a cotton with a small area, if both were about the same weight and folded to the same packed volume.

I prefer the silk because it is more versatile. The extra area is useful if you are making it into a bag, cutting it up into strips for use as toilet paper, using it as cordage, etc, and would dry quicker if wet. Just be prepared to double it up if you need insulation or absorbency.

Since the Jinglebobs site disappeared, I don't know where to buy silk squares from any more.

Shemagh. Much more versatile IMHO. I've been using shemagh's since the middle 1980's long before they became a fashion item. In the interests of self preservation I would say stay away from black and white, and red and white shemagh's unless you want to be potted.
I'm given to understand that one indicates support for Hamas and the other is PLO. Although I can't remember off the top of my head which is which. Personally I stick to green or desert sand.

IIRC, red and white represents Shiite, Black (or dark blue) and white represents Sunni. At least that's what the Iraqis I worked with kept telling me. I like solid khaki color, or khaki and black.

I would match the color to the general terrain, personally.

My wool mufflers are either black or green here in the south.