Methods including drying a crude mineral composition including surface active minerals (“SAM”) and gangue, grinding the crude mineral composition to produce a crude mineral particulate composition including SAM particulates and gangue particulates, contacting the crude mineral particulate composition with a quaternary ammonium surfactant to form organically modified surface active mineral (“OMSAM”) particulates, grinding the crude mineral particulate composition that was contacted with the quaternary ammonium surfactant, and separating a portion of the OMSAM particulates from the gangue particulates using an air classifier.