Cleansers: If using a gum (xanthan, tara, cellulose, etc) to thicken a cleanser, gel the water phase 1st. Then, add traditional surfactants. Some have said creating a gel before adding surfactants can cause a clumpy mess. However, other formulators swear that the way to form the best shampoos, for example, is to create the gel first. Then, slowly stir in the surfactants. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯