diff --git a/common/app/App.jsx b/common/app/App.jsx
index be56b9687c..b6fcbad01c 100644
--- a/common/app/App.jsx
+++ b/common/app/App.jsx
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ import {
   updateNavHeight,
   updateAppLang,
   trackEvent,
-  loadCurrentChallenge
+  loadCurrentChallenge,
+  openDropdown,
+  closeDropdown
 } from './redux/actions';
 
 import { submitChallenge } from './routes/challenges/redux/actions';
@@ -25,16 +27,20 @@ const mapDispatchToProps = {
   submitChallenge,
   updateAppLang,
   trackEvent,
-  loadCurrentChallenge
+  loadCurrentChallenge,
+  openDropdown,
+  closeDropdown
 };
 
 const mapStateToProps = createSelector(
   userSelector,
+  state => state.app.isNavDropdownOpen,
   state => state.app.isSignInAttempted,
   state => state.app.toast,
   state => state.challengesApp.toast,
   (
     { user: { username, points, picture } },
+    isNavDropdownOpen,
     isSignInAttempted,
     toast,
   ) => ({
@@ -42,6 +48,7 @@ const mapStateToProps = createSelector(
     points,
     picture,
     toast,
+    isNavDropdownOpen,
     showLoading: !isSignInAttempted,
     isSignedIn: !!username
   })
@@ -62,7 +69,10 @@ const propTypes = {
   params: PropTypes.object,
   updateAppLang: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
   trackEvent: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
-  loadCurrentChallenge: PropTypes.func.isRequired
+  loadCurrentChallenge: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+  openDropdown: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+  closeDropdown: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+  isNavDropdownOpen: PropTypes.bool
 };
 
 // export plain class for testing
@@ -102,7 +112,10 @@ export class FreeCodeCamp extends React.Component {
       picture,
       updateNavHeight,
       trackEvent,
-      loadCurrentChallenge
+      loadCurrentChallenge,
+      openDropdown,
+      closeDropdown,
+      isNavDropdownOpen
     } = this.props;
     const navProps = {
       username,
@@ -110,7 +123,10 @@ export class FreeCodeCamp extends React.Component {
       picture,
       updateNavHeight,
       trackEvent,
-      loadCurrentChallenge
+      loadCurrentChallenge,
+      openDropdown,
+      closeDropdown,
+      isNavDropdownOpen
     };
 
     return (
diff --git a/common/app/components/Nav/Nav.jsx b/common/app/components/Nav/Nav.jsx
index 9a953c00a6..2894f1762d 100644
--- a/common/app/components/Nav/Nav.jsx
+++ b/common/app/components/Nav/Nav.jsx
@@ -31,14 +31,17 @@ function handleNavLinkEvent(content) {
 }
 
 const propTypes = {
-  points: PropTypes.number,
+  closeDropdown: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+  isNavDropdownOpen: PropTypes.bool,
+  loadCurrentChallenge: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+  openDropdown: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
   picture: PropTypes.string,
-  signedIn: PropTypes.bool,
-  username: PropTypes.string,
-  updateNavHeight: PropTypes.func,
+  points: PropTypes.number,
   showLoading: PropTypes.bool,
+  signedIn: PropTypes.bool,
   trackEvent: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
-  loadCurrentChallenge: PropTypes.func.isRequired
+  updateNavHeight: PropTypes.func,
+  username: PropTypes.string
 };
 
 export default class FCCNav extends React.Component {
@@ -80,12 +83,23 @@ export default class FCCNav extends React.Component {
 
   renderLink(isNavItem, { isReact, isDropdown, content, link, links, target }) {
     const Component = isNavItem ? NavItem : MenuItem;
+    const {
+      isNavDropdownOpen,
+      openDropdown,
+      closeDropdown
+    } = this.props;
+
     if (isDropdown) {
       return (
         <NavDropdown
           id={ `nav-${content}-dropdown` }
           key={ content }
           noCaret={ true }
+          onClick={ openDropdown }
+          onClose={ closeDropdown }
+          onMouseEnter={ openDropdown }
+          onMouseLeave={ closeDropdown }
+          open={ isNavDropdownOpen }
           title={ content }
           >
           { links.map(this.renderLink.bind(this, false)) }
@@ -150,17 +164,6 @@ export default class FCCNav extends React.Component {
       picture,
       showLoading
     } = this.props;
-    let navLinksCache;
-
-    if (this._navLinksCache) {
-      navLinksCache = this._navLinksCache;
-    } else {
-      // we cache the rendered static links on the instance
-      // these do not change for the lifetime of the app
-      navLinksCache = this._navLinksCache = navLinks.map(
-        this.renderLink.bind(this, true)
-      );
-    }
 
     return (
       <Navbar
@@ -188,7 +191,11 @@ export default class FCCNav extends React.Component {
             navbar={ true }
             pullRight={ true }
             >
-            { navLinksCache }
+            {
+              navLinks.map(
+                this.renderLink.bind(this, true)
+              )
+            }
             { this.renderSignIn(username, points, picture, showLoading) }
           </Nav>
         </Navbar.Collapse>
@@ -197,5 +204,5 @@ export default class FCCNav extends React.Component {
   }
 }
 
-FCCNav.displayName = 'Nav';
+FCCNav.displayName = 'FCCNav';
 FCCNav.propTypes = propTypes;
diff --git a/common/app/redux/actions.js b/common/app/redux/actions.js
index 201b7e3abd..c34b50206a 100644
--- a/common/app/redux/actions.js
+++ b/common/app/redux/actions.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { Observable } from 'rx';
 import { createAction } from 'redux-actions';
 import types from './types';
+import noop from 'lodash/noop';
 
 const throwIfUndefined = () => {
   throw new TypeError('Argument must not be of  type `undefined`');
@@ -146,3 +147,6 @@ export const toggleNightMode = createAction(
 export const updateTheme = createAction(types.updateTheme);
 // addThemeToBody(theme: /night|default/) => Action
 export const addThemeToBody = createAction(types.addThemeToBody);
+
+export const openDropdown = createAction(types.openDropdown, noop);
+export const closeDropdown = createAction(types.closeDropdown, noop);
diff --git a/common/app/redux/reducer.js b/common/app/redux/reducer.js
index 31b8e94a40..be6bc7c78b 100644
--- a/common/app/redux/reducer.js
+++ b/common/app/redux/reducer.js
@@ -52,6 +52,14 @@ export default handleActions(
     [types.delayedRedirect]: (state, { payload }) => ({
       ...state,
       delayedRedirect: payload
+    }),
+    [types.openDropdown]: state => ({
+      ...state,
+      isNavDropdownOpen: true
+    }),
+    [types.closeDropdown]: state => ({
+      ...state,
+      isNavDropdownOpen: false
     })
   },
   initialState
diff --git a/common/app/redux/types.js b/common/app/redux/types.js
index 8609060c25..1eb0a70635 100644
--- a/common/app/redux/types.js
+++ b/common/app/redux/types.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import createTypes from '../utils/create-types';
+import { createTypes } from 'redux-create-types';
 
 export default createTypes([
   'analytics',
@@ -33,5 +33,9 @@ export default createTypes([
   // night mode
   'toggleNightMode',
   'updateTheme',
-  'addThemeToBody'
+  'addThemeToBody',
+
+  // nav
+  'openDropdown',
+  'closeDropdown'
 ], 'app');
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index da51c27e73..93847c8294 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@
     "react-youtube": "^7.0.0",
     "redux": "^3.0.5",
     "redux-actions": "^0.13.0",
+    "redux-create-types": "0.0.1",
     "redux-epic": "^0.1.1",
     "redux-form": "^5.2.3",
     "request": "^2.65.0",