diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b8c6446f..a42c7aae 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ public/assets/images/
 public/assets/svg/
 public/assets/css/index.css.map
 public/assets/css/index.css
+public/assets/simplemde/
 /public/assets/pwstrength-bootstrap/
 /public/assets/sweetalert2/
 /public/assets/urijs
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/UserApiController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/UserApiController.php
index e47432c2..310e7743 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/UserApiController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/UserApiController.php
@@ -193,16 +193,24 @@ final class UserApiController extends APICRUDController
 
     protected function curateUpdatePayload(array $payload): array
     {
-        return HTMLCleaner::cleanData($payload, [
-            'bio', 'statement_of_interest'
-        ]);
+        if(in_array("bio", $payload)){
+            $payload["bio"] = strip_tags($payload["bio"]);
+        }
+        if(in_array("statement_of_interest", $payload)){
+            $payload["statement_of_interest"] = strip_tags($payload["statement_of_interest"]);
+        }
+        return $payload;
     }
 
     protected function curateCreatePayload(array $payload): array
     {
-        return HTMLCleaner::cleanData($payload, [
-            'bio', 'statement_of_interest'
-        ]);
+        if(in_array("bio", $payload)){
+            $payload["bio"] = strip_tags($payload["bio"]);
+        }
+        if(in_array("statement_of_interest", $payload)){
+            $payload["statement_of_interest"] = strip_tags($payload["statement_of_interest"]);
+        }
+        return $payload;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/public/assets/js/admin/edit-user.js b/public/assets/js/admin/edit-user.js
index 29db2bb8..ddbe011b 100644
--- a/public/assets/js/admin/edit-user.js
+++ b/public/assets/js/admin/edit-user.js
@@ -83,8 +83,12 @@ $(document).ready(function() {
         }
     });
 
-    $('#bio').summernote();
-    $('#statement_of_interest').summernote();
+    //$('#bio').summernote();
+    //$('#statement_of_interest').summernote();
+
+    var simplemdeBio = new SimpleMDE({ element: $("#bio")[0] });
+    var simplemdeStatement = new SimpleMDE({ element: $("#statement_of_interest")[0] });
+
     $('#birthday').datepicker();
 
     $('#country_iso_code').chosen({width: '100%', height: '34px'});
@@ -140,6 +144,10 @@ $(document).ready(function() {
                 user.birthday = '';
             }
 
+            // get values
+            user.bio = simplemdeBio.value();
+            user.statement_of_interest = simplemdeStatement.value();
+
             var groups  = user.groups;
             delete user.groups;
             user.groups = [];
@@ -175,7 +183,7 @@ $(document).ready(function() {
                             type: "success",
                             text: "User info updated successfully!",
                         });
-                        location.reload();
+                        location.reload(true);
                     },
                     error: function (jqXHR, textStatus, errorThrown) {
                         $('body').ajax_loader('stop');
diff --git a/public/assets/js/profile.js b/public/assets/js/profile.js
index dfe35a40..80ec45a8 100644
--- a/public/assets/js/profile.js
+++ b/public/assets/js/profile.js
@@ -35,8 +35,12 @@ $(document).ready(function() {
         }
     });
 
-    $('#bio').summernote();
-    $('#statement_of_interest').summernote();
+    //$('#bio').summernote();
+    //$('#statement_of_interest').summernote();
+
+    var simplemdeBio = new SimpleMDE({ element: $("#bio")[0] });
+    var simplemdeStatement = new SimpleMDE({ element: $("#statement_of_interest")[0] });
+
     $('#birthday').datepicker();
 
     $('#img-pic',form).data('original-src', $('#img-pic', form).attr('src'));
@@ -93,6 +97,10 @@ $(document).ready(function() {
                 user.birthday = '';
             }
 
+            // get values
+            user.bio = simplemdeBio.value();
+            user.statement_of_interest = simplemdeStatement.value();
+
             var href = $(this).attr('action');
             var data = new FormData();
 
@@ -123,6 +131,7 @@ $(document).ready(function() {
                         $("#password").val('');
                         $("#current_password").val('');
                         $('.change-password-link').show();
+                        location.reload(true);
                     },
                     error: function (jqXHR, textStatus, errorThrown) {
                         $('body').ajax_loader('stop');
diff --git a/resources/views/admin/edit-user.blade.php b/resources/views/admin/edit-user.blade.php
index 86e1cad9..fe96b6d4 100644
--- a/resources/views/admin/edit-user.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/admin/edit-user.blade.php
@@ -237,6 +237,8 @@
         @endforeach
 
     </script>
+    {!! HTML::script('assets/simplemde/simplemde.min.js') !!}
+    {!! HTML::style('assets/simplemde/simplemde.min.css') !!}
     {!! HTML::script('assets/pwstrength-bootstrap/pwstrength-bootstrap.js') !!}
     {!! HTML::style('assets/chosen-js/chosen.css') !!}
     {!! HTML::script('assets/chosen-js/chosen.jquery.js') !!}
diff --git a/resources/views/profile.blade.php b/resources/views/profile.blade.php
index 86b2d467..3743c91b 100644
--- a/resources/views/profile.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/profile.blade.php
@@ -369,7 +369,10 @@
         var current_language = '{!!$user->language!!}';
         var current_country  = '{!!$user->country_iso_code!!}';
         var current_gender   = '{!! $user->gender !!}';
+
     </script>
+    {!! HTML::script('assets/simplemde/simplemde.min.js') !!}
+    {!! HTML::style('assets/simplemde/simplemde.min.css') !!}
     {!! HTML::script('assets/pwstrength-bootstrap/pwstrength-bootstrap.js') !!}
     {!! HTML::style('assets/chosen-js/chosen.css') !!}
     {!! HTML::script('assets/chosen-js/chosen.jquery.js') !!}
diff --git a/webpack.config.js b/webpack.config.js
index 4986a561..d8727001 100644
--- a/webpack.config.js
+++ b/webpack.config.js
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ var plugins = [
             {from: './node_modules/chosen-js', to: 'chosen-js'},
             {from: './node_modules/moment', to: 'moment'},
             {from: './node_modules/@github/clipboard-copy-element/dist', to: 'clipboard-copy-element'},
+            {from: './node_modules/simplemde/dist', to: 'simplemde'},
         ],
         {copyUnmodified: false}
     ),